A greater engagement between stakeholders is necessary in order to manage multiple hazards.
During the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s recent virtual webinar, Kerry Hinds, Director
of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), expressed that in this case the multiple hazards at hand were the ensuing pandemic and the 2020 hurricane season.
In order to ensure that the DEM was prepared and ready to assist persons during this unprecedented time, Hinds revealed that the DEM has been working on updating existing, and in some instances forming new, memorandums of understanding.
“We would have renewed ourselves and the Roving Response Team, as this is one of the groups that support our community response,” she said.
“We would have signed a new MOU, which again articulated both of our entities the continued support that we would give to each other. We also looked at the leveraging of new partnerships and collaborations with new entities; we renewed and enhanced our collaboration with the Red Cross and we also looked to stockpile the much-needed emergency supplies, and we must say thank you to the donors.
“The need for us to manage multiple hazards and the need for us to engage with multiple stakeholders is important.”
Hinds noted that COVID-19 has brought about greater communication and engagement with traditional stakeholders, however, there was still a constant need to engage with new and non-traditional stakeholders as well.
She revealed that as recent as two weeks ago, members of the DEM took part in the Regional Security System’s virtual training sessions that looked at exercising their plans, not only at a national level but a regional one, as they were now poised to do a number of sessions that focused on these regional plans.
The Director went on to note that one of the areas that they treated to this year was the relocation and the upgrade of the DEM and the National Emergency Operations Centre.
“We have a new facility, much more modern and this has much more space to house the National Emergency Operations Centre and this has been a welcomed addition,” she said.