BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, February 2nd 2015 (NEMA) – Some twenty representatives of the Disaster Management fraternity on St. Kitts have been trained in Emergency Operations in preparation for the hosting of Tradewinds 2015, slated for June of this year. Participants received certificates at the end of day two of the National Emergency Operations Centre Workshop (NEOC), which commenced on January 26th at NEMA HQ, Lime Kiln.
Public, Private and NGO stakeholders received training related to their expected roles and responsibilities in the NEOC (National Emergency Operations Centre), as part of the two-day workshop. National Disaster Coordinator, Carl Herbert has referred to the skills upgrade as critically important not only because of its association with Tradewinds this year, but in preparation to manage the NEOC ongoing, as part of the Federation’s Disaster Management remit, in the event of a disaster.
The exercise was offered through collaboration between the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and NEMA and facilitated by Mr. Robert Harewood and Brigadier General (Ret.), Earl Arthurs of the Coordinating Unit. It was later conducted on Nevis over the period 29th to 30th January. According to General Arthurs, the 5-day course was condensed to just two days apiece on both St. Kitts and Nevis in order for as many persons as possible on each island, to access the training.
Course participants said that the information was well received and the exercises relevant to their experiences while responding to events in the past.
“It has provided a road map for building capacity,” Public Works Engineer, Livingston Pemberton said, “The information, exercises and discussions shared, truly underscored prior learning and simulations that I have undergone in the past.”
The NEOC Workshop comes at a time when the Government continues to prepare to host Phase 1 of Tradewinds 2015, which supports the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative as well as the US SOUTHCOM’s goal of building a partner nation capacity at the tactical and operational levels. It is a military-based event which comprises a disaster management component, during which the EOC on Nevis and the NEOC on St. Kitts will both be activated for 3 days in order to test the capacity of national Disaster Management Agencies as well as the CDEMA.
The St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force has been designated the lead agency for Tradewinds 2015, with Major J. Anthony Comrie serving as Co-Chair of the exercise.
FOR MORE INFORMATION about the NEOC Training, please contact the Deputy National Disaster Coordinator (DNDC), Mrs. Claricia Langley-Stevens at 466-5100 or 762-9233 or by visiting NEMA at Lime Kiln, Basseterre.
Vesta I. Southwell
Public Relations Officer.
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