By Devonne Cornelius
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN) – The St. Kitts and Nevis Red Cross Society and the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEMA), are organizing a Disaster Preparedness exercise on Saturday, October 10, 2020, to better equip stakeholders with the necessary knowledge and skillset to handle the possibility of a natural disaster.
Mrs. Telca Wallace, Disaster Coordinator of the St. Kitts and Nevis Red Cross Society gave details of the exercise.
“This weekend we are going to be looking at the flood hazard between the ghauts of College Street and Westbourne Ghaut, and we are looking at the potential effects of such an event. As such we have brought in the volunteers from the Red Cross who has been trained as a Disaster Response Team and National Intervention Team”.
Mrs. Wallace further stated that a number of stakeholders will be participating in the Saturday exercise such as the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services; the St. Kitts and Nevis Defense Force; the St. Kitts and Nevis Coast Guard; the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force as well as the Traffic Department; and the Department of Public Works.
The exercise will be carried out in accordance with the current COVID-19 regulations of physical and social distance and the wearing of face masks.
She said “We are also looking at the Flood Hazard Warning system that is in Lower Monkey Hill. That warning goes off when the water gets to a certain level, and so that is part of the mechanism that is going to be tested, the Flood Warning Hazard System and to see how far the sound can be heard and to look at the capacity of the Flood Hazard Warning System”.
She said this exercise is for the stakeholders to be proactive in their approach in light of the rapid changes in the climate.
Mrs. Telca Wallace, the Disaster Coordinator of the St. Kitts and Nevis Red Cross Society, was at the time providing an update on NEMA’s Up to the Minute program.
The exercise is being funded by the US-AID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.
