National Early Warning System will reduce impact of disasters

– Lt. Col. Craig

Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig says it is crucial for Guyana to have a National Early Warning System to mitigate the impact of hazards.

Lt. Col. Craig made this statement today at the closing of a two-day virtual Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (MHEWS) workshop.

“Once we have an Early Warning System for the entire country, we can definitely reduce future impacts. This will definitely increase the country’s resilience and create an environment for continued growth. Guyana cannot grow to true potential if our risk to hazards remains high,” he said.

Lt. Col. Craig said Guyana should not delay establishing a system as “every time we have a major or medium hazard, the losses and damage are even more significant.”

He referenced the recent flood at Little Diamond, East Bank Demerara, which affected over 100 households.

“If we had an effective Early Warning System, the losses and damage incurred by residents would have definitely been minimised. Because there is no follow up and no monitoring and no feedback, there was a breach [of a koker] at the same location that caused major losses and damage.”

The CDC facilitated the workshop to identify the gaps in the Early Warning System by various governmental, non-governmental organisations, local and regional entities. The identified weaknesses would better inform the development of the National Early Warning System.

The workshop comes during the global pandemic and in the wake of the volcano eruption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which highlighted the Caribbean’s vulnerabilities to hazards.

It was funded by the World Meteorological Organization and the World Bank. It saw participation of agencies such as the Hydrometeorological Service of Guyana, University of Guyana, Guyana Defence Force, Guyana Red Cross Society, UNDP, the Environmental Protection Agency and various Government Ministries and Departments. A survey will be completed by each participating agency involved to highlight their specific areas of contribution towards the system.