In light of the ever present disasters in the region, and around the world, it often provokes the question whether or not Trinidad and Tobago is actually prepared for a natural disaster…The findings of the study indicated that despite much rhetoric that Trinidad and Tobago is prepared for a natural disaster, we are far from actually being prepared with regards to inadequate or non-existing building codes, poor infrastructure, indiscriminate use of land, indiscriminate building of houses on hillsides, along the coastal areas and rivers…In Trinidad and Tobago, the agency responsible for disaster preparedness is The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management or ODPM. This agency was established as result of a mandate by Cabinet in January 2005. The purported functions of the ODPM are to coordinate activities that serve to protect the public’s health and safety… A recent symposium on disaster preparedness among some of the major stakeholders such as Trinidad and Tobago Contractors Association, Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago, The Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards, and The Seismic Research Unit of the University of the West Indies, held in Trinidad on 3^rd February, 2010 at Crowne Plaza Hotel revealed some startling findings on the state of readiness of Trinidad and Tobago for disasters…The consensus among the major stakeholders was that Trinidad and Tobago is not ready for any major type of disaster. It is estimated that this country would suffer multi-billion dollar damages to buildings if a natural disaster were to hit the two main cities and almost catastrophic devastation and loss of human life…

Disaster Preparedness – Are We Ready? Where Are We? What Do We Need To Do To Become Better Disaster Prepared In Trinidad and Tobago? (Dr. Deryck D. Pattron, Trinidad and Tobago)

…According to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in 2002, international disasters affected 608 million people and killed more than 24,000. Disasters are unusual public health events that overwhelm the coping capacity of the affected community. Usually the risk of a communicable disease in a community affected by a disaster is proportionate to endemic level…The most obvious impact on the health of a population affected by a disaster is illness, disability, injuries, and death; direct losses in infrastructure; and loss or disruption in health care delivery. The immediate health burden depends on the nature of the hazard. In the aftermath of a major disaster, authorities must meet extraordinary demands with resources that cannot begin to meet even basic health needs and that often have been drained by the immediate emergency response…The risk for the incidence of infectious diseases increases due to deteriorated hygiene and overcrowding within several days after a disaster. Thereafter, depending on the level of hygiene at the refugee camp, the risk for various infections has been shown to increase. The most common types of infections observed in refugee camps include diarrhea, acute respiratory infection (ARI), measles, and malaria, which are called the 4 major killers…

“Resilience…is merely the skill and capacity to be robust under conditions of enormous stress and change” (Coutu 2002). There is a great deal of buzz about resiliency these days. It is an emergent business perspective that is spurred by the increasingly dynamic and unpredictable nature of our world…The capability to rapidly respond to unforeseen change will require even more than risk management and effective continuity planning. It requires leadership and development of an organisational culture that is agile and responsive to both incremental and radical change. Leadership must be able to also circumnavigate the land mines of catastrophic events, which can alter the business landscape in one moment… September 11, provides the most appropriate introduction to the imperative for resilience. It was a highly unanticipated and unpredictable event. What Nicholas Taleb calls a “black swan,” in his best-seller, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. Taleb defines these events by their “rarity, extreme impact, and retrospective (though not prospective) predictability.” Barton and colleagues suggest that many organisations ignore black swans since they are so unpredictable; however they argue that this approach is not acceptable. That makes sense given that so-called black swans seem to be on the rise. Our present reality is that we live in turbulent times in which resilience becomes a necessity (Hamel and Valikangas 2010)… It is not enough to have a plan in place that defines how to act after a disaster occurs. Instead, organisations are looking to build continuity into their business processes so they are better able to adapt – and even thrive – during changing conditions…