NEMO headquarters opened
It was the day for NEMO dedications it seems. This morning a warehouse retrofitted by the U.S. government was handed over in Ladyville, and this afternoon the new NEMO headquarters in Belmopan was officially opened by the Prime Minister in Belmopan. But as News 5’s Jacqueline Woods found out, the headquarters was already being put to good use not only by Belize’s National Emergency Organization, but by our regional partners.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
National Emergency Coordinators from Central America and the Caribbean are in Belize to look at how they can strengthen their cooperation in emergency management.
Major Gilbert Swaso, Training/Operation manager, NEMO
“Well this workshop is very, very beneficial. As you can recall, I have talked about emergency coordinators from both the Central American and the Caribbean are present here. So the intent if for us to tap into their experiences and our experiences and then we will merge all that so we are better able to serve the Belizean people when there is an emergency.”
The two-day meeting is taking place at the new headquarters of the National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO. The building situated in Belmopan has been specifically designed in such a way that any crisis can be properly managed from one permanent location.
General Earl Arthurs, Director, NEMO
“Well before this, we had to use the Cabinet room as the E.O.C., the Emergency Operations Centre. And it was okay when Cabinet was not sitting, but even during the emergency Cabinet needs to meet, so sometimes we would go outside the building and stay outside in the corridors until when Cabinet had met and to take back the building. Now with this facility we will be able to be permanently inside here. The next thing was that it took us a while to activate.”
The building is equipped with a communications room, main operation room, conference room, and other facilities. During the non-crisis period, the building will be used as the NEMO Secretariat and for the Ministry of Defence. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
The building was constructed by INDECO and built at a cost of over twenty-one million dollars. The new facility was officially inaugurated this evening. Both the opening and workshop were funded by the British High Commission.
