NATIONAL OFFICE OF DISASTER SERVICES

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

“Empowering the next generation for a resilient future” is the theme for this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction to be observed on Sunday and the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) is re-doubling its efforts to reach the nation’s young people.

A week of activities, with specific focus on the youth, will be held from October 13 to 18 in Antigua and Barbuda.

Among the activities are visits to churches and an outreach day by district disaster committee volunteers who work on behalf of NODS in the various districts, and a community awareness day that will include the installation of tsunami signs in St. John’s and surrounding areas.

A disaster management workshop at NODS on Tuesday 15th October will target secondary school students. Youth from 11 schools will be enlightened about the various units of the disaster office namely the Geographic Information System (GIS), Telecommunications, Warehousing, Training, Projects, Public Relations and Administration.

The highlight of the week will be a disaster management expo on Friday 18th October at the multi-purpose centre beginning at 10:00 am where participants will highlight various aspects of their work and how individuals can always keep safe. All schools have been sent an official invitation and members of the public are invited.

Over the years, NODS has been involved in several initiatives to empower the nation’s young people.

There is a model safe school programme on island which is a collaboration among the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), NODS and the Ministry of Education. This is structured around three main areas - school security, school safety and the green approach. NODS has supported the schools with educational programs, various drills and the development of disaster plans. Several young people have also attended CDEMA’s Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) regional conference held every two years. Plans are in line for a youth disaster cadet program to be undertaken by NODS.