CATEGORY:DISASTER PREPAREDNESS ----------------------------------- INSIDE GRENADA Tuesday February 27,2007 by Rawle Titus ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada: Two more Grenadians have now joined the growing cadre of persons in the region qualified to teach courses and conduct damage and needs assessment in times of disaster. They are Martin Menzes and Natasha Southerland who both served as volunteers in the field of disaster management. Menzes has welcomed the new found skills. “By and large it was a course that helped to develop new knowledge and new skills. And I am sure the participants of this course, having developed the knowledge and skills will go back and do a good job within their communities and by extension the Caribbean”. Sutherland and Menzes recently completed a four day workshop in St. George’s in which they were certified as instructors under standards prescribed by the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. Southerland found the simulation exercise included in the sessions to be very helpful.“We got the opportunity to actually conduct simulated assessment exercises, whereby you can actually analyze your data and come up with your priority needs,”she said, 10 other disaster management officials from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Nevis, St. Lucia, Dominica and Antigua also attended. But not all were certified as OFDA instructors though officials are not saying who would have to re-sit. NaDMA Coordinator Sylvan McIntyre says trained persons in damage and needs assessment is a major asset after a disaster. “The process after a disaster is very critically important and this is why the process of damage and needs assessment is so essential for us. It speaks to the recovery process “McIntyre said. “If it is not done properly it can delay the process of recovery so having persons trained in the field of damaging and needs assessment is actually a tool, it’s an asset for any disaster management entity” he added. Becoming OFDA certified instructors means Menzes and Southerland can now be called upon to conduct courses or damage assessment in any part of the world based on requests from OFDA.