BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has seen small turnouts for its slate of town hall meetings that are focusings on comprehensive disaster management.
NEMA’s Director Carl Herbert told reporters that four in a series of town hall meetings they recently held were geared towards looking at all hazards and multi-hazards and not just hurricanes.
The meetings are also aimed at identifying NEMA as the central point of coordination and that individuals, businesses and families also need to be involved in the process.
“It should be about the entire population doing their bit to help to reduce the impacts of hazards,” Herbert said.
However, despite that being the focus, Herbert reported that they only saw a small number turning up for the meetings.
“The attendance was not big, but our responsibility at NEMA was to advertise meetings and to make the opportunities available, which we did for people for discussion and information sharing.”
To this end, he noted that for the few persons who turned out to the meetings, they interacted and gave feedback on what they are hoping to have implemented and their expectations going forward.
He stated that they would soon be looking at other intervention methods in disaster management.
Speaking about the feedback, the Director indicated that persons were very receptive, while many “expressed their concern that even though the appeal was made for persons to attend, persons didn’t come out [and] they believe that disaster management is a serious matter”.
He added that based on information they received, it was noted that persons need to have a change of attitude and become more involved in disaster management and their safety.
“We were not daunted but were disappointed with the numbers, but we used who we had,” Herbert said.
Questioned on complacency by individuals during the hurricane season, Herbert noted that there is no information or survey that indicates such. He however informed that his agency has been pushing the message of ongoing preparedness even outside of the hurricane season.
“Any opportunity we have, whether it is sitting around the table or via media, we appeal to residents. But we are all humans and that is where people err, he said.
