Editorial | Expand CDEMA’s footprint

Hurricane Melissa is a reminder of the vulnerabilities in disaster preparedness across the Caribbean. The devastation caused by this Category 5 storm in Jamaica makes a strong case for strengthening regional systems. One of the steps should be to strengthen the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) as a point agency to coordinate and speed up recovery after natural disasters, the severity and frequency of which are predicted to grow.

It is an opportune time to strengthen the capacity of CARICOM institutions.

The Gleaner is a proponent of deeper cooperation across CARICOM. The region’s implementation gap turns good intentions into missed opportunities. Post Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica should look into developing and implementing constructive proposals for CDEMA’s expansion. These proposals should be mandated to deliver tangible improvements to ensure that more lives are saved, infrastructure preserved, and recovery turnaround time is shortened.

The establishment of the Caribbean Regional Logistics Hub by CDEMA in Barbados in May is a welcome step to facilitate disaster preparedness and response.

“This hub is about saving lives,” said Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley at the inauguration. “This is about getting food and critical supplies, including pharmaceuticals, to persons within 48-72 hours of a major disaster. It isn’t only limited to emergency responses for disaster, it is also going to be for humanitarian crises.”

Such warehouses should be established across member countries, which stock supplies such as medical kits, shelter materials, fuel, and sanitation equipment. This would reduce transportation delays and bottlenecks and shorten delivery time to isolated communities.

LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS

The member states should, forthwith, implement long-term solutions to mitigate climate crises.

As defined in CDEMA’s Regional CDM Strategy and Results Framework 2014-2024, a regional fund, supported by member countries, would help to provide resources to finance immediate needs and bridge the gap between emergency relief and reconstruction financing. This should be strengthened and more resources made available to the CARICOM member states.

Also, the scope of CDEMA’s technical assistance unit should be expanded to include resilient construction standards and teams specialising in retrofitting. These dedicated teams can be sent to assess, certify and support rapid retrofitting of key infrastructure – schools, hospitals and clinics and evacuation centres. There needs to be a step away from ad hoc rebuilding that has the same vulnerabilities. The retrofitted structures should adhere to proposed regional standards based on climate projections.

There is a need to institutionalise regional early-warning and communications interoperability. CARICOM member states should advance a conversation with nations with space programmes to share and analyse satellite data, invest in interoperable alert systems, and create standardised hazard maps and a coherent and shared communications backbone. These must be complemented with public education campaigns to ensure these alerts reach the vulnerable communities in real time.

The community-based disaster risk reduction programmes should be strengthened. CDEMA, through its Regional Training Center, should look at expanding such training on the parish and municipal levels, to create effective and robust preparedness and recovery initiatives. The Caribbean Safe School Initiative (CSSI), launched in April 2017, has 12 ministries of education who have signed the Antigua and Barbuda Declaration on School Safety. Jamaica should look into being a part of this initiative.

REGULAR EXERCISES

Emphasis should also be given to regular regional exercises and rapid deployment rosters. These drills, with pre-cleared rapid deployment teams (including medical, engineering, logistics personnel), would make the region better prepared to deploy resources when disasters strike. Exercise SYNERGY should become annual, not occasional.

Prevention is better can cure, goes the adage. There is a definite need to strengthen data, research and climate modelling partnerships. Jamaica and CARICOM should negotiate multi-year technical cooperation packages (on the model of established programmes) that include skills transfer clauses, ensuring local capacity grows as projects are implemented.

CDEMA’s current mission – mobilising and coordinating disaster relief and coordinating the establishment, enhancement, and maintenance of adequate emergency disaster response capabilities – is vital, but the severity of Hurricane Melissa shows those functions need to be broadened. The agency already advances the region’s Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) strategy and leads exercises like SYNERGY, which provide a strong foundation.

It is critical, given the climate exigencies, to expand the scope and footprint of CDEMA beyond coordination of post-event aid, to active, continuous leadership in preparedness, logistics, resilient reconstruction standards, and climate-risk financing facilitation. Strengthening CDEMA in these areas would work towards making CARICOM less dependent on episodic outside assistance and more capable of protecting its own people.

Cues must be taken from similar best practices across the world. CDM strategic priorities are already endorsed by CARICOM. What needs to change is the political will, predictable financing, and the will to convert plans into standing systems. The region must move beyond rhetorical solidarity and build institutions that deliver tangible results.

Any expansion of CDEMA and the benefits of its programmes must be percolated to the grassroots. People must see the value of these initiatives, their efficacy, and demand accountability for the agreed standards.