The success of the telecommunications workshop held on November 22-23, in Belmopan, is obvious from the interest and enthusiasm displayed by the participants for their newly acquired skills.

The CDERA (Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency) presenters, Mr. Basil Davidson, and retired Brigadier-General, Earl Arthurs, are to be commended for their entertaining and informative presentations. Humor and interactivity enhanced the learning process; as did “real life” examples that reinforced the importance of communications in emergency management.

Mrs. Elsa Vaquez, is joined by Minister of State, Mario Castellanos (Hon.) and CEO in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NEMO, Mr. Lawrence Sylvester (r), as she proudly displays her Emergency Telecommunications Workshop certificate.

 
At the end of the workshop, in a fitting statement, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NEMO, Mario Castellanos (Hon.), congratulated the participants. He encouraged them to use the acquired information wisely to assist their fellow countrymen in times of need. “And the need will arise”, stressed Minister Castellanos.

His comments were complemented by the Ministry’s  Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lawrence Sylvester, an amateur radio operator himself, who lauded the efforts of the NEMO Staff and CDERA in furthering the training of Belizeans in this specific area of disaster management.

Both men acknowledged the contributions of Belize’s early emergency management pioneers, including Brigadier-General Arthurs (Ret’d), a “son of the soil”, who has also served as Belize’s National Emergency Coordinator.

Emergency communications remains one of the most critical component of Disaster Management. The workshop gave Belizean disaster managers and emergency “first responders” an opportunity to expand their expertise in the field.

The ‘Emergency Telecommunications Workshops’ is a regional initiative for the 16 member states of  CDERA. The aim is to train as many persons as possible, in the art of establishing emergency communications in their country and across the region.

Belize’s National Emergency Coordinator, Lt. Col. George Lovell (Ret’d), stated that this is an effort that must not be allowed to fail if we are to properly manage destructive storms such as those that wreaked havoc in the region during 2005.