VI develops ‘Disaster Management Strategy’ in wake of 2017 disasters. Photo: VINO/File

Key stakeholders from both public and private sectors came together at a three-day consultation, conducted between August 22, 2018 and August 24, 2018, to develop the strategy. Photo: GIS

Acting Governor, David D. Archer Jr, while addressing the stakeholders, said he was pleased to receive the audit results and attributed the successes documented, to the work that has been put in place over the last 40 years. Photo: VINO/File

The development of the five-year strategy (2019 to 2023) follows the recent completion of the programme’s audit and a review of the 2014 to 2018 VI’s CDM Strategy, that was undertaken by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

This, according to a Government Information Service (GIS) press statement, released yesterday, August 28, 2018.

According to the government’s release, key stakeholders from both public and private sectors came together at a three-day consultation, held between August 22, 2018 and August 24, 2018, to develop the strategy.

Four Decades

Acting Governor, David D. Archer Jr, while addressing the stakeholders, said he was pleased to receive the audit results and attributed the successes documented, to the work that has been put in place over the last 40 years. 

The Acting Governor while recalling the events that impacted the Territory during 2017 said, “…in three months, we were impacted by two flood events and two hurricanes that are termed as unprecedented events.”

He said, “while we focus on the reconstruction elements, we are also getting our Territory back to normal operations and so our focus must also be on re-establishing the necessary programmes and structures to ensure that our preparedness and response levels are much more advanced than they were prior to 2017.”

UN Support

The consultation, according to GIS, facilitated the fourth iteration of the strategy and was supported by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reductions (UNISDR) through the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

The workshop focused on the four main phases of the disaster management cycle namely preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. 

It was noted that the pre-impact and response phases were well advanced, however the recovery phase needed to be guided by a comprehensive framework that includes the Recovery and Development Agency (RDA) which was established to guide the reconstruction and rebuilding activities.

A holistic approach to recovery planning was also presented for consideration that would then take into consideration plans to safeguard the new assets being acquired; the development of an estate plan to support continuity of government operations, the strengthening of information technology, and ensuring that there is a robust data and documentation protection programme.

It is anticipated that with the VI’s continued involvement with CDEMA and other regional and international disaster management entities, resourcing can be made available to facilitate the completion of the strategy and to support its full implementation over the next five years.