Governor Pearey (r) and Chief Minister Dr. Smith (c)

Tortola, BVI, June 20, 2006 (Department  of Disaster Managment) -Governor David Pearey convened his first National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) meeting as Chairman yesterday at the Prospect Reef Conference Room. The purpose of the meeting was to review the action points highlighted at the previous meeting and to receive national sub-committee reports on the level of preparedness of the Territory.

In the Governor’s opening remarks he recognize that the BVI is amongst the best prepared for disasters in the Caribbean Region.  This he attributed to a clear disaster management organizational structure; frequent simulation exercises to test emergency plans; expertise within the Department of Disaster Management; and the presence of Her Majesty’s War Ships in the region.  Even though the BVI is fairly prepared the Governor cautioned that disaster preparedness is intimately linked to development and the more the BVI develops as a Territory, the more disaster preparedness has to be integrated into the developmental process.

Deputy Chairman, Chief Minister, Dr. the Honorable D. Orlando Smith also addressed the Council by stating, “There is an old saying in the BVI that God is a British Virgin Islander, this is often said when hurricanes have passed and hit neighboring countries and have left the BVI standing or have passed over us and inflicted very little damage.  

In saying that, we recognize the omnipotence of God but we also think that one of the reasons why we are not damaged as much as other countries by hurricanes is because we build stronger here in the BVI”.  The Chief Minister cautioned that hurricanes have been increasing in intensity over the years and the damage done to neighboring countries like Grenada, Cayman Islands, and Jamaica has shown the people of the BVI that we cannot be complacent.  “We cannot say that our buildings are strong and we will survive”, said the Chief Minister.  He went on to say that that “no building is really strong enough”, therefore proper precautions should be taken to ensure hurricane preparedness this season.  In his final remarks the Chief Minister reiterated the importance of the government’s involvement in the disaster management process and the need for a comprehensive disaster management structure.

Throughout the meeting there were numerous presentations made by various sub-committees and recommendations put forward to advance the goal of the disaster management programme. The meeting ended with all members agreeing on a number of operational initiatives and the confidence of being prepared for the 2006 Hurricane Season.

Department of Disaster Management
#3 Wailing Road MacNamara
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Ph. 284-494-4499 Fax: 284-494-2024
E-Mail: bviddm@surfbvi.com