British Virgin Islands: Department of Disaster Management publishes community preparedness guide

In promoting disaster awareness and preparedness in the Territory, the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) has produced a new and improved Community Disaster Preparedness Guide.

The new Guide contains practical information on preparing and recovery from the effects of disaster events which may affect the Territory. It includes hazard-specific safety tips and information on personal, family, business and community preparedness and protection.

Upon receiving the first copy, Governor Boyd McCleary said “I am impressed by the quality and content of this book. It contains topics that are extremely relevant to all of us in the Virgin Islands.”

He added, “The presentation of this Guide is timely, as we are about to enter into the hurricane season. This Guide covers a wide variety of topics and is a wonderful tool for individuals, businesses and communities. I am confident that by following the information provided in this guide it will make us all safer, stronger and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation.”

The Community Disaster Preparedness Guide is a revision of the 2005 Community Disaster Preparedness Handbook with updated information, pictures and with more colour. This latest production includes both English and Spanish sections.

DDM’s Information and Education Manager Linton Leonard said, “I am quite pleased with the direction this guide has taken, as it has successfully covered one of the priority areas of the Public Information and Education Subcommittee in developing material to reach the Spanish-speaking community. It contains a wide variety of preparedness information that is now available to a wider spectrum in the Territory. Now more people can be more aware and better prepared”

The production of the Community Disaster Preparedness Guide was done by SYSTAR, a local consultation firm, and was funded by AusAID, CIDA, UKAid and OECS through the administration of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

A limited amount of the Community Disaster Preparedness Guide is available to the public; however, both languages are available for downloading at www.bviddm.com in the publication section of the Document Center on DDM’s website.