The CDEMA CU remembers Captain Horatio Tuitt as a husband, soldier, disaster manager, training instructor, music lover and a friend. Captain Tuitt hailed from the country of Montserrat. However, his service spanned the Caribbean and Europe, where he did a short stint.
As a Disaster Manager, Captain Tuitt served in both Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands. His service in Montserrat started after the Volcano event that devastated the Island. While in Montserrat, he assumed the position of Operations and Logistics Officer and was later elevated to the post of National Disaster Coordinator/Director Disaster Management and Coordination Agency (DMCA). In 2008 however, Captain Tuitt was seconded for a four year period to the Turks and Caicos Islands, to assist with the development of their Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME). During his tenure, he also provided outstanding service to Grand Turk when Hurricane Ike battered the island in 2008.
Captain Horatio Tuitt was also a member of CDEMA’s Rapid Response Team and was deployed to several disaster stricken states in the region including: Grenada (Hurricane Ivan, 2004), Dominica (Hurricane Dean, 2007) and Haiti (Earthquake 2010). He was also a member of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team in Latin America and the Caribbean.
As a trainer and exercise evaluator/planner, Captain Tuitt represented CDEMA as the Agency partnered with the US SOUTHCOM in the delivery of training and exercise initiatives in the region. Such initiatives included Exercise TRADEWINDS and FAHUM. These are regional activities (Caribbean and Latin America) comprising Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response. Activities such as these, were instrumental in preparing the Caribbean to deliver a successful Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007.
In January 2005, Captain Tuitt was seconded to the CDEMA CU in Barbados for two months to enhance the Preparedness and Response Unit and to review the performance of the Regional Response Mechanism (RRM). During that period, he was responsible for guiding the review of the CARICOM Disaster Unit (CDRU), which supported Grenada after the passing of Hurricane Ivan.
As a soldier, he ascended the ranks to assume the highest post in Montserrat’s Defence Force to become a Captain and Defence Force Commander. His professionalism, leadership and discipline assisted in moulding the country’s Defence Force and Cadet Corps (including the Band) to the high standards they have achieved over the years. The Montserrat Defence Force is used regularly in its ceremonial roles; however its key function is to provide support to the Disaster Management and Coordination Agency (DMCA) in times of crisis.
The CDEMA CU thanks this Caribbean luminary for his outstanding assistance to the region in the field of Disaster Management. Captain Tuitt will be missed but not forgotten.
May his soul Rest In Peace!