Red Cross hosts international disaster training in Toledo
We didn’t need news of an earthquake in China or cyclone in Myanmar to understand the importance of disaster preparedness. But those two events offer a sobering reminder of the need for planning and training at all levels and across all borders. Janelle Chanona reports on one such important initiative taking place in southern Belize.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
For the next two weeks Red Cross and Red Crescent members from across the globe will participate in rigorous training courses in six villages in the Toledo district. According to Director General of the Belize Red Cross, Lilly Bowman, the Field School Program is all about disaster preparedness and response.
Lily Bowman, Director General, Belize Red Cross
“This particular one is focusing on public health in emergencies and water and sanitation.”
Janelle Chanona
“What exactly are the participants going to be experiencing on the ground for the next two weeks?”
Lily Bowman
“They’re gonna be experiencing a real life scenario of what would happen in the case of a disaster. In our case in Belize it’s more than likely a hurricane. They will be working in the worse conditions possible. Of course, we have set up camp in Corazon down in Toledo. They will be working in Dolores, Otoxa, Santa Theresa, San Lucas, Marble Ha as well.”
Martin Fisher, Head, Field School Operations
“These are professional people and we are training them with additional skill at a field level to make an impact when there’s an emergency. The idea is that they have those skills in addition to their medical or—very often medical skills in this case—to make assessments and to provide information that’s relevant and fast. So hopefully, we increase the speed and the efficiency of a response because they have these additional skills.”
And with the hurricane season less than two weeks away, Minister responsible for Emergency Management Melvin Hulse is calling on all members of the public to play their role in preparedness.
Melvin Hulse, Minister, National Emergency Management Organization
“If we don’t have our Belizeans on the ground in the village being able to do that first response, then we’ve lost. The fact is we’ll always get a hurricane guys, that’s a reality and I appreciate the fact that you are going to be able to share all of my mud and my dust and my rain and my heat. I appreciate you sharing and I don’t want you to think I’m selfish okay. But I can say as minister for NEMO—National Emergency Management Organization—that definatley, Red Cross is the fore front of work, we working with them because at the end of the day a hurricane hit us here in Belize, all of us feel it okay because it is our country, our people. It could be our village. The fact is that we need to work together.”
The three Belizeans who will participate in the training are Lizet Aldana, who coordinated the Red Cross’ Emergency Operating Centre during Hurricane Dean, First Aid Coordinator Merrilie Ellis and Public Health Nurse Estella Humphreys. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.
According to the Belize Red Cross, since March, thirty-four National Intervention Team members have been training community disaster response teams across the country in anticipation of the 2008 hurricane season.
