dec_2017c

24 25 THE CARIBBEAN DISASTER EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY RepublicofGuyana,Haiti,Jamaica,Montserrat,St.Kitts& Nevis,SaintLucia,St.Vincent&theGrenadines,Suriname, RepublicofTrinidad&Tobago,Turks&Caicos Islandsand theVirgin Islands, Whenadisaster strikes,aparticipatingstatemayre- quest assistanceas longas thestatedetermines that con- trol of thesituation isbeyond itsnational capability.This includesdisasters resultingfromnatural hazards suchas hurricanes,floods,earthquakes,andvolcaniceruptions,as well asman-madedisasters suchasoil spills,chemical accidents,aircraft crashes,and industrial fires. Uponreceiptof the request for assistance,CDEMAis responsible for solicitingandcoordinatingassistance from governments,organizations,and individualsbothwithin andoutside the region,whocanprovide thespecificre- sourcesor expertisemosturgentlyneeded.Otherpartici- patingstatescanplayan important role inthis regardas, inmanycases,theyarewell placedtoprovideassistance becauseof their similarities,closeproximity,andclose ties. Typesof assistanceprovidedor coordinatedbyCDEMA inthepasthave included: relief supplies,emergency communications facilities,emergencymanagement personnel,damageassessmentpersonnel,searchand rescuepersonnel,rapidneedsassessment andfinancial assistance. Inaddition,other functionsofCDEMAinclude: n Securing,coordinating,andprovidingto interested inter-governmental andnongovernmental organizations reliableandcomprehensive informationondisasters affectinganyparticipatingstate n Encouragingtheadoptionofdisaster loss reduction andmitigationpoliciesandpracticesat thenational and regional level n Encouragingcooperativearrangementsandmecha- nisms to facilitate thedevelopmentof acultureofdisaster loss reduction n Coordinatingtheestablishment,enhancement,and maintenanceof adequateemergencydisaster response capabilitiesamongtheparticipatingstates n Trainingdisastermanagementpersonnel n Developingmodel disaster legislationfor adaptation andadoptionbyparticipatingstates n Developingmodel policiesandguidelines foruse in emergencies n Improvingemergencytelecommunicationsand warningsystems n Promotingeducationandpublicawareness CDEMAis fundedbyitsmembersunder a formula whichtakesnoteof thepopulationsizeandeconomic conditionsof eachconstituent state.Additional fundsare securedfromvariousdevelopmentbanks,foundations, andorganizations,suchas theEuropeanUnionandthe