Bridgetown, 杏吧性吧, March 11th, 2019 (CDEMA) - Given the critical role of the media in providing information and communicating on emergencies, media personnel from the Government Information Service (GIS), private radio, television and print media as well as government communications officers met on Saturday March 9, 2019 at the Secretariat of the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) in Bisee, St. Lucia to attend the Media Training Workshop entitled 鈥楿nderstanding Disaster Risk Management鈥�.听
The purpose of the training was to share knowledge and increase awareness among media practitioners as well as to encourage partnership between the media entities and the local, national and regional disaster management systems. Secondarily, It is anticipated that through partnership with media practitioners, public service announcements (PSAs) on hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis to be launched on March 12, 2019, will be disseminated to the primary target audience 鈥� the public at large that include vulnerable persons such as the elderly, disabled, pregnant and lactating work and children.
The training workshop was coordinated by NEMO in close collaboration with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). The training, facilitated by Mr. Clive Murray, Communication and Information Specialist from CDEMA, introduced participants to Comprehensive Disaster Management, key disaster management concepts including risk and vulnerability. There was a specific focus by the Saint Lucia Meteorological Service on the terms used and clarifications on their meaning. Participants were also introduced to the workings of the regional (CDEMA) and national disaster/emergency systems, with particular focus on the interface between the media and the Regional Coordination Centre based at CDEMA and the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC).
There was an intentional focus in the training on the important role of the media in identifying the various disaster risk management publics and their information and communication needs, and specially for vulnerable persons. Their role in the context of an emergency or disaster and the need to prepare for such a role with various tools and products was also emphasised.听
This media training was undertaken with the financial support of the European Union under the Project entitled 鈥淪trengthen integrated and cohesive preparedness capacity at a regional, national and community level in the Caribbean鈥�. The Project supports concrete actions for an effective early warning system, as well as aims to improve information management and operational capacity for an improved Caribbean Regional Response Mechanism. Working with Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Cuba at a national and community level, and with regional early warning and response actors at the Caribbean level, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent (IFRC) are partnering with the General Directorate of Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid of the European Union (ECHO) to reduce the risk of disasters in the region.听
For further information, please contact:
Clive Murray
Communication and Education Specialist
CARIBBEAN DISASTER EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (CDEMA)
Resilience Way, Lower Estate
St. Michael
BARBADOS
Tel #: (246) 434-4880
Fax #: (246) 271-3660听
Email:
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