EMERGENCY response teams from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) attended to more than 3,000 people injured in Haiti's devastating earthquake, and have vowed to provide more assistance after March 5 when the recovery phase begins.

Kingston, Jamaica, January 26, 2010 (CCRIF) – The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) today paid the Government of Haiti US $7,753,579 following the Magnitude 7.0 earthquake which struck close to Port-au-Prince on 12 January, causing damage of catastrophic proportions. This represents the full amount due to the country based on its catastrophe insurance policy for earthquakes for the 2009/10 policy year, and which forms part of the country’s disaster risk management strategy. This value represents approximately 20 times the premium of US$385,500.

Source: Jamaica Information Service

Kingston, Jamaica , December 9, 2009 (GIS) - The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Mrs. Faith Innerarity, has said that the Ministry has been playing a key role in the strengthening of Jamaica's disaster management system.

Montego Bay, Jamaica, December 10, 2009 (CDEMA,ODPEM) - Jamaica’s Prime Minister the Honourable Bruce Golding formally opened the fourth Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) and Exhibition at the Rose Hall, Hilton in Jamaica on Tuesday this week. In his address, Prime Minister Golding acknowledged the tremendous contribution of the region’s disaster management fraternity to development. He also commended the key players for advancing the DM agenda and acknowledged their critical role in further shaping the development of the Small Island Developing States of the region. Mr. Golding expressed support for the overarching goal of CDM - poverty reduction - and urged those present to continue to work assiduously to address this issue towards achieving sustainable development.

Montego Bay,Jamaica,December 8, 2009 (ODPEM, CDEMA) - History has been made at the fourth Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) with its first live online broadcast. From now until Thursday December 10, 2009 persons will be able to view the conference live on www.odpem.org.jm . With an audience interactive chat feature streamers can now communicate in real time using social networks, Facebook, Twitter and Ustream.

By ODPEM, CDEMA

Montego Bay, Jamaica, December 7, 2009 (ODPEM, CDERA) - The fourth Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) has, on its inaugural day, successfully advanced the disaster management agenda in several critical areas. Twelve (12) meetings were held on the opening day. The day’s activities highlighted the need for disaster risk reduction (DRR) regionally and looked at DRR in key areas including education, health, law, tourism and business.