WFP Caribbean and CDEMA Partner to Train Disaster Response Personnel in St. Kitts

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) have partnered to train disaster response personnel in St. Kitts. The four-day workshop, which began on August 15, 2023, is being held at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Basseterre.

The workshop is designed to train participants in the principles and process for end-to-end supply chain management, which includes needs assessment, sourcing and shipping, warehouse management, distribution, and pest control. The training will focus on how to effectively and efficiently move resources in the aftermath of a disaster.

Participants in the workshop include representatives from the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services, the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police, the Department of Customs and Excise, the St. Kitts and Nevis Red Cross Society, the Departments of Social Development and Community and Gender Affairs.

In his opening remarks, National Disaster Coordinator at NEMA, Mr. Abdias Samuel, said that the workshop was important for building capacity in disaster response. He stressed that the Caribbean region is facing an increasing number of climate-related disasters, and that it is essential to have trained personnel who can effectively manage the flow of resources in the aftermath of a disaster.

“On our path to building a resilient St. Kitts and Nevis, and by extension the Caribbean region, we have to ensure that we maximize on the opportunities provided in building capacities. As you will see here this morning, we have a number of institutions that are critical to the supply chain,” he said.

He continued: “You’re training today to respond tomorrow not only to St. Kitts and Nevis but to our obligation in the region. That’s why we are CARICOM, and that’s why we are part of a six-member state sub-regional team comprising of Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, St. Maarten/Saint Martin and Montserrat, and therefore we have to be ready like everybody else…if we do not have the human capacity resources available to respond then we are going to be challenged. And the response must be multi-sectoral and must be all of society.”

Acting Deputy National Disaster Coordinator at NEMA, Mrs. Oureika Lennon-Petty, also underscored the importance of capacity building. She said that the workshop would help to build capacity in logistics, which is essential for a timely and effective response to disasters.

“I would, first of all, like to thank the World Food Programme, of course, for dedicating their resources and time to this very timely workshop. We at NEMA value training and capacity building and we saw that it was important that we have persons in St. Kitts and Nevis trained in logistics, and the reason being is that after an impact one of the most important things is the movement of resources, and the effective and efficient movement of resources is what assists us with a better and timely response, and so exercises like these workshops help us to build capacity and help us to see the importance of having persons trained,” said Mrs. Lennon-Petty.

Retired Major Damain Bromley, Logistics Coordinator and Training Facilitator for the WFP, said that the training was developed in partnership with CDEMA and NEMA, and that it was supported financially by the USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance and the European Union. He said that the training was designed to support humanitarian operations in the region, and that it would be beneficial to both St. Kitts and Nevis and the wider Caribbean region.

“This training was conceptualized by the World Food Programme but developed and made possible through a partnership with CDEMA and the local disaster office NEMA. Our efforts are supported financially by the USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance and the European Union.”

“The training is set out to support humanitarian operations in the region as we have seen the increase in the number of climate-related disasters. We are committed to providing support to the region to ensure that resources and skills are available to impacted persons when crises happen,” Mr. Bromley said.

 

“We are encouraged to continue to develop within the region these training as we make improvements for the region…the skills learned in the workshop will be beneficial domestically, as well as for the rest of the Caribbean,” Mr. Bromley said.

Mr. Jean Paul Laveau, Supply Chain Officer and Workshop Facilitator for the WFP, encouraged participants to see the value in the training. He said that the skills learned in the workshop would be beneficial for their daily operations, and that they could use these skills to increase the resilience of their country and the region.

“Please see the value in the training, take what you can from it, see how you can apply it to your daily operations, and mesh with all the agencies in here and those who have not been able to make it here, that you can increase the resilience of your country and the region by extension,” Mr. Laveau said.

The four-day workshop will conclude on August 18, 2023.