IN LESS THAN two months, the Atlantic hurricane season will begin. No one can accurately predict what it will offer; those living within its path can only expect the worst and hope for the best. The entire Caribbean chain which is exposed needs to be better prepared for any eventuality. The issue of preparation also applies to the next big disaster which could be awaiting us in Barbados or our neighbours, whether floods, chemical or gas leaks, oil spills, earthquakes or even a tsunami. Are we ready and prepared for any such eventuality?

The reality is that we must stop looking to the United States, Canada, Britain and other rich nations to be our salvation in times of disaster. So while the US Southern Command, which has planned major cuts, has the means to respond to any major disaster in this region, the reality is that we must show a greater willingness to do more for ourselves, long before the times of peril. We need to appreciate that the Caribbean simply does not rank too high on Washington’s agenda.

That means member nations must give the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) greater support, particularly financial. It is to be regretted that some countries have not been paying their dues.

At the local level, the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) and its equivalents across the region must also be well supported.

Just as important, we need volunteers in an active equivalent of the Neighbourhood Watch concept promoted by police, to be equipped to respond to the next big disaster.

The DEM and the Barbados Defence Force must implement the strategic goal of training community emergency response teams not only for every neighbourhood but all major employment centres.

We need to have certain safety fundamentals in place long before we think of asking or expecting external assistance. Perhaps before the start of the hurricane season an audit ought to be done to see how many houses are built or retrofitted to hurricane proof standards and how many householders know basic first-aid, rescue and/or firefighting techniques.

We also need to test the volunteers to determine what skills are most critical and what factors can stymie their effectiveness following a natural or man-made disaster and how best to apply these skills primarily within the community. It is a test to benefit every individual and corporate citizen.

Training will take money, regardless of who undertakes it. When the entire community is involved there is a great level of appreciation and it may be easier to find the funding even in difficult economic times. We need to become activists in disaster mitigation at the community level and promote the concept of self-help. We must not be seen as simply reaching out for alms.

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A group of South East Asian disaster management specialists will be in New Zealand later this month taking part in training hosted by the University of Canterbury’s Centre for Risk Resilience and Renewal (UCR3).

The group of future disaster management leaders come from eight of the ten ASEAN countries and will be undertaking a comprehensive two week programme focusing on strategic crisis leadership and an introduction to emergency exercise science to help better equip participants for crisis leadership roles in the future.

UCR3, headed by director Chris Hawker, is hosting three programmes over three years in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade who is funding the activity under the NZ Aid programme.

The UCR3 programme is a key component of the ASEAN Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) six-month Executive Development Programme (ACE). The AHA Centre is an inter-governmental organisation, established by Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, to support the coordinated response to any disaster event which occurs across the ASEAN region.

The group will be meeting with a range of Government Agencies and organisations in Wellington and Christchurch and will be in New Zealand from March 22 to April 5.

The university’s UCR3 has organised a range of experiential activities and key speakers, including Professor Tim Davies, leader of the university’s Hazard and Disaster Masters Programme, Dr Christopher Gomez, who studied aspects of the 2011 Japan earthquake, Associate Professor Nilakant Venkataram who will discuss the issues of leadership’s highs and lows and Dr Erica Seville who will highlight issues of organisational resilience. Dr Gomez will be emphasising how important ethical aspects of disaster management are for ASEAN countries.

UCR3 is supported by Massey University’s Joint Centre for Disaster Research and Auckland University of Technology’s Emergency Management Programme, showcasing the best of New Zealand’s knowledge in the field of disaster management.