The Department of Emergency Management (DEM) is boosting public knowledge about hazards and disasters through its public awareness programmes.
Director of the DEM, Kerry Hinds, outlined this as she addressed the opening ceremony to mark the start of Coastal Hazards and Earthquake Smart Month at the Folkestone Park and Marine Reserve, last Friday.
“The Coastal Hazards and Earthquake Smart Month of activities is a successful example of the packaging of a number of public education and awareness concepts in a palatable way to encourage a community to pursue and achieve resilience,” she said.
Ms. Hinds explained that Cabinet approved the National Comprehensive Disaster Management Policy and the current National Comprehensive Disaster Management Country Work Programme.
These, she said, are aligned to the internationally agreed United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 to 2030, and the UN Ocean Decade 2021 to 2030.
“We have gone further; we have taken some of these articulated priorities and brought them to life through our pervasive public education and awareness programmes,” the Director pointed out.
She added that the month-long activities being celebrated under the theme Resilient Shores, Secure Futures will showcase the individual and collective efforts of agencies and entities, and how they contribute to raising awareness, and developing strategies to assist communities and the nation to manage and cope with the various hazards.
Ms. Hinds outlined that a disaster resilient community was one that worked together to understand and manage the risks that it confronts.
“It is about safeguarding families, livelihoods, and property. Disaster resilience is the collective responsibility of all sectors of society, including all levels of government, business, the non-state actors and individuals.
“If all stakeholders work in tandem with each other towards a common goal and with sheer commitment and dedication, the product will be improved disaster resilience,” she stated.