CDEMA Executive Director urges preparedness for this hurricane season

By Aabigayle McIntosh

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) continues to form strategic partnership to better serve its 19 member’s states that may be impacted by a hurricanes or other natural disasters.

Executive Director Elizabeth Riley spoke about a number of key partnership in the area of logistics and training during the agency’s annual news conference on Tuesday.

Some of those partnerships are with King Oceans Services Limited, a cargo shipping company which provides a wide range of maritime transport services from Florida to over a dozen ports in South and Central American and the Caribbean.

Under an MOU signed with CDEMA, King Oceans will provide cargo transportation services for the movement of relief supplies that will ensure immediate and coordinated response to affected participate states.

This is in addition to existing arrangements offered by Tropical Shipping and MV Dawn which is a humanitarian vessel.

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We have also signed an MOU with Global Affairs Canada and this provides critical logistics support, both air as well as maritime support and logistics for regional response mechanism as well as equipment from the Canadian Armed forces,” Riley said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center predict above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin this year.

NOAA’s outlook for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which spans from June 1 to November 30, predicts an 85% chance of an above-normal season, a 10% chance of a near-normal season and a 5% chance of a below-normal season.

NOAA is forecasting a range of 17 to 25 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, 8 to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 4 to 7 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). Forecasters have a 70% confidence in these ranges.

Director Riley also spoke to important issues such as ensuring builders receive the proper training and qualification in constructing homes to a particular standard that can withstand category five hurricanes and magnitude seven earthquakes, and ensuring the agency has access to adequate disaster relief supplies.

“We want to encourage our participating states to continue to utilize the suite of resources that are available to you through the CDEMA system to advanced your preparedness efforts,” Riley said.