Bzeans get emergency response training

The hurricane season may be four months away, but this week several Belizeans are in Honduras to receive training in emergency response capabilities at both the national and regional levels. The training is a part of the Tenth Allied Forces Humanitarian Regional Exercise being held in Tegucigalpa. According to a government issued press release, the two-week exercise will feature simulations of the impact of two hurricanes affecting the Caribbean and Central America and the necessary response mechanisms. When the delegation returns to Belize, they will be responsible for the training of public officers in disaster preparedness, response and recovery techniques and in times of national emergencies, set up and run the National Emergency Operations Centre. The fifteen-person delegation is headed by Major Shelton De Four and includes members of the BDF, representatives of the Belize Red Cross and government officials. The Belizeans return to the country on the ninth of March.