NATIONAL OFFICE OF DISASTER SERVICES

Last Wednesday’s all-day disaster management workshop was a productive one, based on comments made by the National Office of Disaster Services’ (NODS) representative, Sherrod James. James who is a NODS educator said the workshop allowed for discussions to be held between the public and private sector representatives on  relevant areas of disaster management. James said the delegates from the private sector were previously unaware of the existing national disaster management system. He also noted that both sectors were able to highlight the areas where a gap exists between them and looked at ways through which the public sector could seek to bridge these gaps. The workshop was co-coordinated by Tropical Shipping. Earthquake and tsunami researchers from the United States, health sector representatives and spokespersons from both the private and public sectors made presentations.  Each presentation was followed by a discussion of the issues that were highlighted. In addition to NODS and the private institutions, other the following agencies participated in the workshop: the Antigua and Barbuda Red Cross, the National Solid Waste Management Authority, and the Immigration Department.