The Minister of National Security Major General (Ret’d) the Honourable Edmund Dillon hosted a meeting with Stakeholders from key Government Ministries to discuss their collective level of preparedness as Trinidad and Tobago faces the start of the Rainy and Hurricane Seasons for 2018.
Present at the meeting were Minister of Works and Transport Senator the Honourable Rohan Sinanan; Minister of Social Development and Family Services the Honourable Cherrie-Ann Critchlow-Cockburn; Ag. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government Ms. Stara Ramlogan; Ag. Chief of Defence Staff, Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, Group Captain Darryl Daniel; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, Mr. Deodat Dulalchan; Ag. Head, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management, Captain (Ret'd) Neville Wint; and other representatives of the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Discussions focused on lessons learnt by all agencies, following several incidents of flooding that seriously impacted communities in 2017. Issues discussed included the establishment of inter-operable communications systems among responder agencies; stronger coordination and management of disaster shelters; greater public education drives for wider preparedness of the population; and strengthening the recovery process.
Minister Dillon reminded all attendees that a proactive approach to disaster management and preparedness is the modus operandi for 2018. He encouraged the various agencies represented at the table to continue to build relationships so that a Whole of Government and Whole of Society approach can be fully applied to disaster preparedness and management in Trinidad and Tobago.