Jamaica NaSIMEX 2012 ends

 

Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management (CDEMA), Mr. Jeremy Collymore gave opening remarks at the event and stated the importance of conducting exercises of this nature.
NaSIMEX 2012 was launched on Friday, January 13, 2012 and was supported through the CDEMA Country Directed Fund (CDF) Mechanism at a cost of approximately JM$4.5 million. The CDF was accessed through the Comprehensive Disaster Management Harmonization Implementation Programme (CDM-HIP) which receives financial support from the United Kingdom Department for International Development, Canadian International Development Agency and Australian Agency for International Development.    

The multi agency team present at Thursday’s exercise addressed key issues that would be required in a plan for external assistance in USAR. These included the mobilization for external assistance, reception of the team, deployment, employment and repatriation. A draft plan is now in the process of being developed based on the outputs from this exercise.

On Wednesday February 15, 2012 the ODPEM in collaboration with a number of its partner agencies and parish councils, staged a series of earthquake drills across the island. The drills included the participation from communities, schools and businesses with the aim to test the response of critical agencies and institutions to an earthquake and tested the knowledge of Standard Operating Procedures, including evacuation, assembly and roll call.

In addition, an official Search and Rescue exercise was conducted at the Kensington Primary School in Portmore, St.Catherine. This exercise involved a mass casualty incident at the school with more than 70 students and teachers participating and also included the involvement from the Jamaica Fire Brigade, the Ministry of Health, the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Red Cross.

The community of Old Harbour Bay carried out its first Earthquake and Tsunami drill on Wednesday February 8, 2012. The drill which was spearheaded by the ODPEM in collaboration with the St. Catherine Parish Disaster Committee, the Old Harbour Bay Community Emergency Response Team and a number of partner agencies was carried out in a relatively intense and rigorous setting.

The inter-related table top exercises were conducted throughout the months of January and February and tested the responses for: the Continuance of Governance, Fire, Transport, Tourism and Education. The exercise also examined the requirements for water, security and evacuation.

The overall objective of NaSIMEX 2012 is striving to enhance national earthquake readiness and assess the level of inter-agency coordination for a major emergency response at the National and Parish Levels.
NaSIMEX will be an annual event for the ODPEM and its partner agencies.

Contact:
NaSIMEX2012
Ms Kimberley Weller, Information Officer
Information and Training, ODPEM, Jamaica
Phone: (876)906 9674-5/754 9077-8 Fax: (876)754 3229
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.odpem.org.jm

CDM-HIP
Ms Cisne Pascal
Programme Coordinator
Comprehensive Disaster Management-
Harmonization Implementation Programme (CDM-HIP)
Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management (CDEMA)
Phone: (246)425 0386 Fax: (246)425-8854
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Website: www.cdema.org

 

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