BASSETERRE St.Kitts, October 13th, 2011 -- In 1989, the United Nations General Assembly by Resolution 44/236, designated the second Wednesday of October, for the annual commemoration of the “International Day for the Natural Disaster Reduction, Worldwide.”  A subsequent resolution established October 13th, as the annual day of commemoration.

I address you in my capacity as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Homeland Security under whose remit NEMA falls. It is with a sense of duty that I bring into focus the importance of today’s commemoration.

Earlier this year, and in keeping with this year’s theme, “CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AS PARTNERS FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION,” the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Ministry of Education, collaborated and revived a Schools Safety Programme. 

When fully developed, the programme will engage students, teachers, parents and other key stakeholders in partnership, to put in place, plans and procedures to mitigate the possible impact of hazards in the vicinity of schools. 

This initiative will indeed complement and reinforce other disaster risk reduction interventions that target our youths, like the summer fire safety camp, organised annually by the St. Kitts-Nevis Fire and Rescue Services.  Such activities are important strategies intended to expose our youths to aspects of disaster mitigation and preparedness.

I also believe that today is an ideal opportunity to call on parents, guardians, the Ministry of Youth and Youth Organisations to use the opportunities to expose our children and young people, to life saving skills, such as first aid and swimming.

Their involvement in such training, will engage children and other young persons in meaningful activities which can be applied in the future, to avert potential individual, family or group crisis situations.

In commemorating this day, the NEMA office on St. Kitts and the Nevis Disaster Management Department, will later today, launch a multi-media earthquake readiness, public education campaign.  Brochures and posters will also target students in schools.

This outreach effort, follows on from the development of a “Draft St. Kitts-Nevis Earthquake Contingency Plan,” by a multi agency, multi sector group, during a workshop earlier this year.  I therefore invite students and young people in particular and the general public, to tune in to our  local radio and television stations and visit websites www.nema.kn and www.nevisdm.com, to access the audio and video public service announcements that will be publicised there.

May we all use this day to either become involved or to recommit ourselves to proper actions that can reduce the impact of hazards on life and property.

I end by encouraging every citizen and/or resident to become more engaged in NEMA’s efforts to foster a national culture of mitigating against disaster and other risks which can result in loss of lives and property thereby affecting our individual and collective well-being.

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