“Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very pleased that you have given me the opportunity to address you today on a very important issue for us in our small island states. We in the Caribbean remain vulnerable to many natural disasters. In Grenada’s case the potential threat of a Tsunami arising from the existence of Kick ‘em Jenny, an undersea volcano is real. The Sumatran tsunami of 2004 demonstrated the potentially destructive power of this coastal hazard. It has provided us with a good gauge of the risk exposure that our region faces without a suitable and sustainable risk reduction program. This catastrophic event was a catalyst not only for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the wider Caribbean but for the world as a whole. We live in an area that has been ranked among the most disaster prone in the world. Given this fact, and the devastating impact of the Indian Ocean experience, the CARICOM Community Council determined that its regional disaster management institution, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), should support regional efforts to establish a tsunami and other coastal hazards warning system on behalf of its participating states. As part of the regional effort, CDERA has secured assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), participating states, the CDERA Coordinating Unit and the Seismic Research Unit of the University of the West Indies. The Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System Project is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and is a two year initiative which seeks to implement activities which empower coastal communities to prepare for and respond to tsunamis and other coastal hazards. Ladies and gentlemen this exercise is happening at a very critical time for us in Grenada and the region. We are quickly approaching the hurricane season and while the exercise itself is not geared to hurricanes, the threats from natural disasters remain high. The threat of Kick em Jenny has the potential to bring harm to human life and property in Grenada and other islands in the Caribbean sea as well. You must also be aware that most of our villages on the West Coast of Grenada are engaged in marine activity, fishing on the west and North West, and tourism on the South West coast. In addition, a significant section of our population live in areas that can be severely affected should a Tsunami develop as a result of an eruption from Kick em Jenny or indeed any other volcano in the region. One is mindful of the impact of Soufreire in Montserrat, where the runoff from pyroclastic flows and rock falls into the sea have the potential for the snowball effect. We are therefore pleased that Grenada was selected as the pilot for this simulation exercise. Ladies and Gentlemen, this threat cannot be overstated as we have seen reports in recent times of earthquake tremors in neighboring Trinidad and Tobago. As recent as Saturday of last week, a 4.4 magnitude earthquake was felt in Southern Trinidad. We in Grenada are also affected by some of these tremors and earth quakes. We are therefore very happy to have you in Grenada at this time, as we move to strengthen our National Disaster Management Agency, NADMA. My government is firmly of the view that this is an important organization that should be fully operational and properly staffed to ensure that our small, but beautiful country, can manage through a natural disaster without the difficulties faced post Hurricane Ivan. We are moving to enhance the capacity of the Agency, its community offices and Emergency Operation Centers, to make certain they can be operated successfully, when called upon to do so. In addition we are making every effort to strengthen the participation of the people in NADMA, so that both the organization and the communities are prepared, if called upon. Ladies and Gentlemen in this technologically advanced period, I encourage you to find ways of harnessing the relevant technologies to help protect our people. The machinery must be properly oiled and working prior to a disaster so that efficient and effective recovery can immediately be undertaken following a disaster. As Prime Minister I fully commit to this task. It is one thing to suffer the impact of natural disasters but it is quite another, to experience the frustrations of an inadequate responses. History is replete with examples of slow recovery processes and its attendant hardships on populations. Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to compliment (CDERA) and the United States Southern Command on their approach to this exercise and look forward to its success. We hope it will provide some direction on how the newly developed Tsunami Protocols for the region can be successfully implemented to meet the challenges that potential disasters pose to our states. I urge you to be as realistic and thorough as possible to ensure all elements of the process are fully tested. I have been advised that this is just the start of a series of tests on these protocols which will be carried out in Jamaica, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda as well. I also wish to thank the United States Agency for International Development for its funding of this exercise which will support the development of a comprehensive tsunami and other coastal system warning system for the Caribbean and Latin America. Ladies and gentlemen, a lot has been invested in getting our islands to the level of development we currently enjoy. It is therefore necessary to work together to maintain the gains we have made. We must do all we can to mitigate against these natural occurrences and where we are unable to stop them, then we must put mechanisms in place to minimize damage and loss, and recover from them quickly. We must sensitize our people to their own responsibilities and provide the leadership that will help them when called upon to make serious decisions. These mechanisms must be reviewed as information and technology change. Disasters have neither nationality nor ethnicity. It is no respecter of persons. So I challenge and encourage you to provide the message in packages that our people can understand and learn. No one must be left out of the process. Ladies and Gentlemen I wish you a successful meeting and look forward to a robust and efficient system coming out of all your deliberations and simulations. Thank you very much. INSIDE GRENADA NEWS