The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in collaboration with the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) is working on adapting model Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Eastern Sub-regional Focal Point of St Kitts/Nevis, Anguilla, the BVI and Montserrat.
Antigua and Barbuda has responsibility as Sub-Regional Coordination Centre (SRCC) to provide support in emergency/disaster situations on behalf of CDEMA. The SOPs will provide clear guidelines and operational boundaries.
Members of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) participated in a workshop Thursday led by CDEMA Consultant Antonio Lopez-Portillo which reviewed the protocols for the activation, operation and deactivation of the Sub-Regional Coordination Centre (SRCC).
The model Standard Operating Procedures is to be adapted by each of the four Sub Regional Focal Points - Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago so that each would have its own specific SOPs.
Some of the key issues coming out of the workshop are guidelines for the stockpiling of warehouses and the shipping of relief items, the utilizing of technology and building relationships among key agencies from country to country.
