Making strides in Disaster Preparedness and Response in Guyana

NATURAL disasters are unpredictable and they are devastating. Every year, millions of people are displaced and Governments are forced to face the economic consequences; directing scarce resources to relief and rebuilding efforts that would have otherwise been spent on improving social services and raising standards of living.

This stark reality necessitates that countries develop comprehensive disaster preparedness plans that are designed to provide urgent humanitarian assistance and to lessen the impacts of a disaster. The adverse impact of natural disasters often cannot be fully prevented, but their scale or severity can be substantially lessened, by various strategies and actions.

In this edition of Government in Action, we will take a look at the Civil Defence Commission (CDC); its mandate for disaster preparedness and management in Guyana and how it has been working to develop local capacity to handle disasters, both natural and man-made.

The Civil Defence Commission
The CDC was established in 1982 to create plans and conduct operations to deal with all types of disasters in Guyana. By 1985, a comprehensive National Disaster Preparedness Plan was documented and implemented. In September 2001, Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) for the National Emergency Operations Centre were upgraded to meet new challenges posed by worsening domestic and international disasters.

Today, the CDC’s mandate is to coordinate and monitor Disaster Risk Management and Comprehensive Disaster Management in Guyana; identify, analyse and map hazards and conduct related research into their effects and develop appropriate responses; collaborate with Ministries and Departments of Government, national and Regional Democratic Councils, local communities, statutory bodies, private sector entities, non-governmental organisations and faith-based organisations having functions related to, or having aims or objectives related to those of the Commission; develop and maintain a database on disaster-related information including climate change and other new and emerging threats and to ensure access to the database by stakeholders

In the context of its mandate, the CDC’ s mission is, to reduce loss of life, damage to property and improve the quality of life in Guyana by leading, coordinating and supporting the nation in the development and enhancement of a comprehensive disaster risk management system, involving preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.

Planning and Preparation
Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, who has responsibility for the CDC and disaster risk management, speaking at the closing ceremony of a one-week Mass Casualty Management (MCM) and Incident Command Systems (ICS) workshop on February 14, 2018, said that for a small nation with limited resources like Guyana, planning and preparation are key.

“There is no doubt of this Government’s commitment to building resilience to disaster risks for all Guyanese. We have worked and will continue to strive to ensure that we are better prepared and able to deal with the increased risks expected from climate change and manmade hazards. Disaster Risk Management is everyone’s business, and we intend to do all that we can to create a better, safer Guyana.

I wish to assure you that the Government of Guyana will continue to invest in the development of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Guyana. We will never be caught in a situation where we do not have a plan. We must plan for all eventualities. It is only by planning and preparing that we will be in a position where we can respond positively. We have limited resources and if we are to have optimum use of those resources, we have to plan carefully and apply the resources we have in a practical and efficient way,” Minister Harmon said.

The State Minister noted that with the recent spate of hurricanes in the Region and the increasing effects of global warming and climate change, it is important for Guyana to take note of its geographic location and move towards strengthening and building capacity to protect itself from the effects of the phenomena.

In this regard, Minister Harmon said that measures must be immediately taken in Guyana beginning with an intensification of the education programmes to inform citizens about ways in which they can safeguard themselves when disasters occur, and to devise the most conducive and cohesive strategy to protect themselves and their livelihood. Secondly, he noted that the development of new building codes and specifications to make building structures and infrastructures disaster resilient must now become a norm.

“Thirdly, I want to suggest that we improve and expand our communication networks such as the establishment of radio stations in our regions, towns and rural communities to keep our citizens informed about disaster preparedness, mitigation consequences and actions to be taken in the face of occurrences. Additionally, we have to increase our efforts to institutionalise disaster preparedness in all regions of Guyana. Ours must be continuing and continuous effort to address disaster issues especially disaster reduction,” the State Minister noted.

With this in mind, Government, since its assumption to office in 2015, has been working closely with the CDC to adopt a comprehensive reform process to modernise the Commission and to bring it in line as much as practicable with the policies of CARICOM’s umbrella agency for disaster management, the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

The reform process has involved among other measures, the revising of the outdated National Disaster Preparedness Plan to make the CDC compliant with global and regional systems such as United Nation International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency’s Comprehensive Disaster Management Framework. Implementing disaster preparedness legislation and upgrading infrastructural facilities are also ongoing.

Through these efforts, the CDC has been able to expand its reach, improve its response times and help local and regional authorities to develop regional disaster management committees to reduce dependence on the central office.

Oil Spill Response
As Government moves to build and strengthen its capacity to deal with the potential hazards associated with the development of an oil and gas sector, the CDC has been undertaking efforts to ensure that Guyana puts a sound disaster risk reduction and management system in place so that it is prepared to prevent an oil spill or respond effectively should there be an accident in that regard.

On March 24, 2018, at the first of a series of national consultations on the drafting of the National Oil Spill Response Contingency Plan at the CDC’s headquarters, Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Raphael Trotman noted that with every new find, the importance of the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan grows exponentially as it will not only deal with the development of the oil wells being drilled by ExxonMobil but the other wells that come in tandem with it. He said that while the Government recognises the potential risks, which come with developing this new-found petroleum resource, it remains equally committed to the protection of the environment.

Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig said that even as the country recognises the voluminous natural resources it possesses, which can contribute significantly to positive social and economic growth and development, stakeholders must also reflect on how proactive and targeted Disaster Risk Reduction and Management measures can play an integral role in reducing negative environmental impacts during the utilization and exploitation of these resources.

“Today’s consultation is yet another step in the right direction, where our key stakeholders will be able to critically review the first draft of the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan. The intent of this plan is to implement a framework, which would cater for a coordinated response action to potential onshore and offshore oil spills. As such, the plan needs to be simple but comprehensive, accessible, readily updatable and reflective of not only the working culture of Guyana but also in line with international standards and best practices,” Colonel Craig noted.

He said that the Government and other stakeholders involved must not only be prepared for the opportunities but for the accompanying challenges such as environmental pollution and oil spills.

“As we are all aware, without preparation, no amount of expertise, manpower or equipment can be effectively organised on the spot in the chaotic situation that prevails after an oil spill. The scope of a contingency plan is based on what is known as a “tiered response” framework. This helps to ensure that the planned response reflects the scale of the particular spill. The mere existence of a plan is not sufficient to ensure preparedness for responding to an oil spill. The planning process itself is as important as it serves to raise issues that will likely arise in response while raising awareness on roles and responsibilities of every stakeholder,” the Director General said.

On April 26, 2018, the Ministry of Natural Resources in collaboration with the CDC and Exxon Mobil, certified a total of 37 participants, who undertook a one-week Oil Spill Response Workshop at the Splashmin’s Resort.

Mass Casualty Management
In an effort to strengthen Mass Casualty Management and Disaster Response Systems, CDC in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), the Ministry of Public Health and the Canadian High Commission in Guyana, on February 14, 2018 concluded a one-week Mass Casualty Management (MCM) and Incident Command Systems (ICS) workshop, with 86 participants from 20 organisations, each of whom is now internationally accredited in mass gatherings management techniques. Forty-two of the participants completed the ICS and 39 the MCM between February 5-7, 2018 and February 8-14, respectively. Additionally, five instructors completed their MCM evaluation.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon noted that MCM and ICS systems are integral in the preservation of public safety and security during emergencies and disasters, as they facilitate the provision of prompt medical response, effective and efficient resource mobilisation and management, and strengthened inter-agency coordination during Mass Casualty Incidents (MCI).

“Through this system we were not only able to provide appropriate medical care but were also able to effectively manage the flow of patients to the Emergency Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), thereby, averting a surge situation at the GPHC and saving lives. Given these positive results, it is imperative that mass casualty management systems are implemented at all mass gatherings, both at the national and regional levels.

Response capacity is not only being built at the national level but we are engaging the Regional Democratic Councils through the Regional Disaster Risk Management Systems that are being institutionalised in the administrative regions, to ensure that persons are similarly trained and Mass Casualty and Incident Command Systems are integrated into the regional mechanism,” Minister Harmon said.

Damage Assessment and Disaster Management
Damage Assessment is a critical component of Disaster Risk Management. It provides critical information that aids in guiding decision-making relative to operational responses. It also defines, for response personnel, various parameters for logistics requirements, while providing the roadmap to aid in sourcing the resources needed to bring relief to the affected persons and communities.

On April 14, the Commission concluded an initial Damage Assessment training for 45 persons from that region, as well as, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three), Demerara-Mahaica (Region Four), Mahaica-Berbice (Region Five), East-Berbice Corentyne (Region Six) and the CDC’s Volunteer Corps.

Colonel Craig noted that regional officials and volunteers, who have been trained are required to form the Regional Rapid Assessment Teams and will be required to conduct assessments immediately after a hazard impact to inform the process of determining the appropriate response. In keeping with the Regional Disaster Risk Management Mechanism, the CDC should only take the lead in the response operations if the situation overwhelms the Region’s capacity. As Guyana and the Caribbean grapples with the impact of climate change, the Director General said that the country must work to enhance its collective capacity to be able to provide an effective response system to emergencies and disasters at all levels.

“As you all know, Guyana is susceptible to both natural and manmade hazards that can impact the society, our vulnerable Regions, their communities and the residents. Flooding, as a result of heavy rainfall, or breaches in the sea defence or from other sources, droughts, fires, spillage of petroleum caused by an overturned transport vehicle on a roadway, and now, the probability of an offshore oil spill, all have the potential to disrupt our lives and our communities. As such, Disaster Risk Management becomes everybody’s business,” the Director General noted.

The Government, through the CDC, has embarked on the path to ensuring that across Guyana’s ten Regions, citizens as well as private and public sector stakeholders, gain the relevant knowledge and skills necessary to positively impact decision-making and operational readiness in the event that people are impacted by hazards and/or disasters. In this regard, the Regional Disaster Risk Management System is being implemented in all the Regions and Community-Based Disaster Risk Management at the community level in an effort to decentralise Disaster Risk Management and enhance disaster response.

This has proven beneficial as the CDC, on June 17, 2018, was only required to provide supplies and conduct an assessment of the island of Wakenaam, Essequibo Islands- West Demerara (Region Three) after residents experienced flooding due to high tides and a breach in the sea defence at Melville and Sans Souci.

The Director General of the CDC noted that the rapid response by the regional administration was due to the Regional Multi-Hazard Preparedness and Response Plan, which the CDC had helped the region to formulate. The RDC was able to activate its Disaster Risk Management Committee and actively respond to the affected areas.

Drought response
Drought has also been a challenge for Guyanese, particularly residents in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine). Following President David Granger’s State Visit to Brazil in December 2017, where the Complementary Agreement to the Basic Agreement on Technical Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Guyana and the Federative Republic of Brazil for the Implementation of the Project Technologies to Reduce the Effects of the Drought in Region Nine of Guyana, was inked, the CDC has been tasked with coordinating the project.

The Project will pave the way for the drilling of eight wells in eight villages. This will assist in the storage of water for the dry season (El Nino). The drilling of the wells is expected to commence in October and will last for a period of 60 days. Upon completion of the wells, the Commission will undertake the task of monitoring and evaluating of the project to determine how it has impacted the communities.

Emergency and disaster planning involves a coordinated, co-operative process of preparing to match urgent needs with available resources. Government has recognised this and the need for a proactive approach as the climate change and global warming phenomena continues to wreak havoc on the Caribbean and other Small Island Developing States. As the Government continues to play its part, so too must citizens who must recognise their role and contribute to the process.