Recognising the importance of receiving early warning ahead of potential hazards, Government has invested heavily in systems to alert citizens, so as to increase their resilience and save lives.
Minister of Home Affairs and Information, Wilfred Abrahams, underscored this point last Friday, as he addressed the official launch of the Multi-Hazard Early Warning System Advisory Committee (TMAC) at the Savannah Hotel.
“The National Multi-Hazard Warning System mechanism is that system that Government has invested in to lead closer to resilience. We see it as critical that you, the public, are provided with advanced warning information in sufficient time to make informed decisions on the safety of yourself and your family.
“You need to know if to run, how much time you have to run, and where to run to, and that depends on the nature of the hazard, the event arising, and your personal situation. The aim is to provide you with this information in an understandable format, allowing you to internalise and act swiftly regardless of the status, situation or location,” he said.
During the launch, seven radio stations received equipment to allow them to broadcast emergency messages during their regular programming.
Mr. Abrahams commended the broadcast stations and telecommunications service providers for work done over the last year-and-a-half to embrace their social responsibility and collectively provide warning, dissemination and communication services to citizens in Barbados.
“It is critical that we embrace the need for us to identify, enact and legitimise useful public policy, legislation, plans and standard operating procedures, to guide our responses as we deal with multiple hazards, providing you with comprehensive information on all the dimensions of disasters, including hazards exposure, vulnerability and capacity related to persons, communities and organisations and their assets, to provide a robust platform for decision-making at all levels,” the Minister emphasised.
Director of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), Kerry Hinds, disclosed that a roadmap for early warning systems was developed and guided the work of the department as a National Emergency Management System.
She added that they were looking forward to the continued work of the TMAC, which formed part of a new and enhanced Government mechanism for early warning systems nationally.
“The programme we are undertaking seeks to inform risk informed investment in multi-hazard early warning systems and contributes to sustainable development. The DEM will utilise its position to encourage crucial conversations among stakeholder groupings as we recognise that collectively we must drive the agenda…,” Ms. Hinds said.
TMAC comprises 13 members, including the DEM, the Barbados Meteorological Services, the Barbados Government Information Service, the Coastal Zone Management Unit, the Barbados Red Cross, the District Emergency Organisation, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry.