The Valley, Anguilla, May 19, 2006 (The Anguillan) -Mrs Elizabeth
Klute arrived in Anguilla on 1 May ‘06 to take up an appointment as Director,
Disaster Management (Consultant) in charge of the Disaster Management
Department. She has been appointed on consultancy terms for a period of two
years in the first instance to develop Anguilla’s disaster preparedness
capability and to co-ordinate the preparation and testing of a comprehensive set
of contingency plans against all forms of disaster.

Her arrival just before the start of this year’s hurricane season is propitious
- and she has already attended her first meeting of the National Disaster
Management Committee held on 12 May.

Mrs Klute brings a wealth of experience to the post. Prior to joining the
Disaster Management Department, she worked in signal design for the Washington
State Dept. of Transportation, managing the traffic network at the high-tech
Traffic Systems Management Center - very similar to a disaster warning centre -
in Seattle. In 1989 she founded TransporTech-Inc, a consortium of companies
addressing the GIS, public safety, local government and animation markets. Her
firm supported the recovery operations for Mt. St. Helens and the Loma Prieta
earthquake. Her 1999 In-Vehicle Fire Response System won the international
competition for Innovation of Technology for the Public Good, known as the
Global Bangemann Award out of Stockholm, Sweden. She also found the time to work
five years as a paid-call firefighter in San Bernardino County! She most
recently worked as the Community Warning System (CWS) Manager for Contra Costa
County Sheriff’s Office in California.

During her period of service, Mrs Klute will train an Anguillian to assume the
post of Director, Disaster Management in Anguilla. The recruitment process for a
suitable person will begin shortly.

Mr Wycliffe Richardson, who has filled the post of National Disaster Management
Co-ordinator for many years, will take up a new appointment in the Chief
Minister’s Office on 1 June ‘06. His Excellency the Governor and Ministers of
Government wish to thank him for his dedicated service in this capacity and for
the progress that he achieved in advancing Anguilla’s disaster management
capacity during his period of office.

Source: http://www.net.ai/article/view/3558