THE STATES PARTIES:

CONSCIOUS that the fragile economies and ecosystems of Caribbean States are extremely vulnerable to natural and man-made disasters;

RECALLING that during recent decades many Caribbean States have been adversely affected by a succession of hurricanes, namely Barbados (1955); Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Haiti (1964); Dominica and the Dominican Republic (1979); Saint Lucia, Haiti and Jamaica (1980) and Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis and Montserrat (1989);

RECALLING FURTHER the volcanic eruptions in Martinique and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (1902); Guadeloupe (1976); St. Vincent and the Grenadines (1979) as well as the earthquakes in Jamaica (1902); Puerto Rico (1918); the Dominican Republic (1946) and Antigua and Barbuda (1974);

MINDFUL that, from time to time, several States of the Caribbean are subject to disastrous floods and landslides;

AWARE of the need to complement the initiatives of the Pan Caribbean Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Project by establishing a mechanism among Caribbean States in order to facilitate immediate and coordinated assistance to States participating therein in the event of a disaster;

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

ARTICLE 1
DEFINITIONS

In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) "Caribbean" means the territories of Member Countries of the Pan Caribbean Disaster Preparedness and Preservation Project;

(b) "CARICOM" means the Caribbean Community;

(c) "Coordinator" means the Disaster Emergency Response Coordinator appointed pursuant to Article 7;

(d) "disaster" means a sudden event attributable directly and solely either to the operation of the forces of nature or to human intervention or to both of them and characterised by widespread destruction of lives or property accompanied by extensive dislocation of public services, but excluding events occasioned by war, military confrontation or mismanagement;

(e) "national relief organisation" means the governmental agency charged with responsibility for disaster relief management;

(f) "Participating State" means a State party to this Agreement and "affected Participating State" means such a State in the territory of which a disaster has occurred;

(g) "State" includes a dependent political entity of the Caribbean.