CATEGORY:REMEMBERANCE
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By Trevor Thwaites (Inside Grenada correspondent)

ST. GEORGE, Grenada - Hurricane Ivan, which severely destroyed Grenada, resulting in total losses estimated at EC$2.4 billion is said to have also taught regional disaster officials some good lessons. “Many lessons were identified and learnt”, Coordinator of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Agency, Jeremy Collymore, told reporters last week Thursday, during a press conference in St George’s to mark the second anniversary of the deadly hurricane. Collymore said that they have recognized the importance of having adequate coordinating facilities in place to deal with disasters.

He paid tribute to what he said is the significant progress achieved by NADMA with the strong structures being developed within the various communities. Collymore acknowledged that since the passage of Hurricane Ivan, the government, with assistance from CIDA and the World Bank, has moved vigorously to effectively address disaster mitigation. “No longer again we want to see the continuity of the government being compromised by the absence of Emergency Communications.”

The regional disaster coordinator said that he is confident that with the infrastructure and resources now available, what happened after Hurricane Ivan will be a thing of the past. Collymore said that the Caribbean people have demonstrated the highest level of volunteerism towards the Grenada situation. “In my 20 years of disaster management in the region, we have never seen this kind of outpouring and are working to harness it”, he said.
The regional disaster coordinator pointed out that an efficient communications network is now in place across the region.

With the assistance of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), regional countries have been able to equip themselves with appropriate communications infrastructure. Collymore said that CDERA is now working with the media and Government Information Services to ensure that communities get the kind of information when they need it most – in times of crisis. He said that they have learnt a great deal about recovery planning following the events here.

“The ARD (Agency for Reconstruction and Development) is an institution the region will lean from. We think that at the end of this process a lot of people would know much about the regional response mechanism and a lot more about national preparedness. He urged local disaster officials not to let down their guard and encouraged them to continue to build on the sound structures being constructed. “I really want to urge that this strong commitment that has emerged post Hurricane Ivan does not die like Janet. We must find ways to institutionalize this consciousness about our national development,” added Mr. Collymore.