ADDRESS
BY
DR. THE HON. KENNY ANTHONY
PRIME MINISTER OF SAINT LUCIA
AND
CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ORGANISATION
AT THE
DISASTER MITIGATION PLANNING WORKSHOP

BAY GARDENS HOTEL - SAINT LUCIA
7 JULY, 1997

THANK YOU MR CHAIRMAN,

· MS AUDREY MULLINGS, DEPUTY COORDINATOR OF THE CARIBBEAN DISASTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCY (CDERA)
· MR ALPHONSE ANTOINE, DIRECTOR, ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES (OAS)
· MRS. JENNIFER WORRELL, USAID , REGIONAL DISASTER ADVISOR.
· MISS JUDY THOMAS, PROJECT MANAGER, DISASTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DERMS)
· NATIONAL DISASTER COORDINATORS AND PLANNERS FROM SISTER CARICOM STATES
· MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS.
· LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
ON BEHALF OF MY GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF SAINT LUCIA I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ISSUE A WARM WELCOME TO ALL OUR VISITING DELEGATES TO SAINT LUCIA.

THE RATIONALE FOR A MITIGATION WORKSHOP RESIDES IN THE PERENNIAL EXPOSURE OF SAINT LUCIA AND HER SISTER ISLANDS TO HURRICANES, FLOODS, LANDSLIDES, FIRE, VOLCANOES, AND EARTHQUAKES WITH ATTENDANT CATASTROPHES EXPERIENCED IN OUR FRAGILE AGRICULTURE AND TOURISM INDUSTRIES.

YOU ARE MEETING AT THIS TIME, THE SECOND MONTH INTO THE 1997 HURRICANE SEASON, BUT MORE THAN THAT WE ARE HERE AT A TIME WHEN THE PEOPLE OF MONTSERRAT ARE LIVING UNDER THE THREAT OF AN ACTIVE VOLCANO.

ONLY LAST WEEK THE HEADS MET AT MONTEGO BAY IN JAMAICA AT THE 18TH CARICOM HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING. WE SHARED THE AGONY AND PAIN OF THE PEOPLE OF MONTSERRAT. THEIR FORTITUDE IN AMAZING. WE HAVE ALL AGREED TO REDOUBLE OUR EFFORTS AT PROVIDING FURTHER ASSISTANCE. I HOPE TO LAUNCH A FURTHER APPEAL HERE LATTER THIS WEEK.

SINCE 1960 NATURAL DISASTERS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN HAVE CAUSED THE DEATH OF OVER 180,000 PEOPLE AND CAUSED APPROXIMATELY US$54 BILLION IN PROPERTY DAMAGES. IN SAINT LUCIA ALONE TROPICAL STORM DEBBY [1994] INFLICTED $230 MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE AND TWO YEARS LATER THE WAVE OF ’96 COST US $12 MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGES. THE DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES OF GILBERT IN [1988] IN JAMAICA AND HUGO IN [1989], LUIS AND MARILYN IN 1995 IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS AND THE USA HAVE BEEN PUBLICISED WIDELY BY THE MASS-MEDIA AND BY AGENCIES CONCERNED WITH DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION. A DISASTER RETARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR COUNTRIES. RESOURCES HAVE TO BE DIVERTED FROM OTHER PROJECTS FOR RECONSTRUCTION.

THE EXPLODING COST OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL ASSISTANCE CAN BE REDUCED IF COMMUNITIES TAKE CONSTRUCTIVE ACTIONS TO REDUCE DAMAGE PRIOR TO THE NEXT DISASTER. WE AS A GOVERNMENT ARE QUITE PREPARED TO EMBARK ON AN AMBITIOUS CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES FROM BECOMING THE VICTIMS OF DISASTERS. WE ARE READY TO WORK WITH CDERA THE OAS AND OTHERS TO ESTABLISH DISASTER-RESISTANT COMMUNITIES AND TO PROMOTE SAFER, MORE ECONOMICALLY SOUND NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT THIS REGION.

THERE IS AN OLD SAYING "PRECAUTION IS BETTER THAN CURE". IN THE FIELD OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT THE SAYING IS ALMOST GOSPEL. THEREFORE, A WORKSHOP AIMED AT INCREASING THE AWARENESS OF THE BENEFITS OF MITIGATION IS ALWAYS WELCOMED AND THE CARIBBEAN DISASTER MITIGATION PROGRAMME [CDMP], THE CARIBBEAN DISASTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCY [CDERA] AND THE DISASTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM [DERMS] HAVE BROUGHT US HERE THIS WEEK TO HIGHLIGHT THIS IMPORTANT AREA.

I HAVE BEEN ADVISED, THAT YOUR MEETING HERE THIS WEEK, IS TO PROVIDE A FORUM FOR INTERFACE BETWEEN DISASTER MANAGERS AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNERS LEADING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR CONTINUED COLLABORATION AND COOPERATION IN THE FORMATION AND EXECUTION OF NATIONAL LOSS REDUCTION PROGRAMMES. THIS, I BELIEVE, WILL ULTIMATELY RESULT IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AT THE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL.

THE FOCUS OF THIS SAINT LUCIA LABOUR PARTY GOVERNMENT WILL BE ON REDUCING THE ESCALATING COST OF DISASTER RESISTANCE BY PROMOTING COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY. WE WILL CONCENTRATE ON PREVENTING PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES FROM BECOMING VICTIMS OF DISASTERS BY ENCOURAGING THE CONCEPT OF A DISASTER RESISTANT COMMUNITIES. THIS WILL REQUIRE A NEW APPROACH TO GOVERNANCE AND COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY.

MY GOVERNMENT IS COMMITTED TO COMMENCE WORK TOWARDS THE RESTITUTION OF COMMUNITY GOVERNMENT. THIS IS WHY WHEN I CHAIRED MY FIRST MEETING OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ORGANISATION [NEMO] ,DAYS AFTER MY PARTY’S VICTORY AT THE POLLS, I INSTRUCTED THE OFFICE OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS TO ISSUE AN INVITATION TO THE LEADERS OF BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES HERE, TO NOMINATE REPRESENTATIVES TO SERVE ON ALL OF OUR DISASTER COMMITTEES ISLAND-WIDE, BECAUSE DISASTERS DO NOT KNOW POLITICAL PARTIES. WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IS EVERYONE’S BUSINESS, NOT JUST THAT OF DISASTER COORDINATORS. ALL SECTORS, HOUSING, PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, TOURISM, AGRICULTURE, DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION ARE AFFECTED BY NATURAL DISASTERS. THE SAME RANGE OF INTERESTS MUST BE INVOLVED IN MINIMIZING THE EFFECTS OF NATURAL HAZARD AND THEIR DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES.

THIS REQUIRES BOTH THE INVOLVEMENT OF THESE GROUPS IN RISK REDUCTION AND COORDINATION BETWEEN ALL SUCH EFFORTS.

PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IS CRITICAL. SUPPORT FOR INVESTMENT IN VULNERABILITY REDUCTION IS TO THEIR BENEFIT.

THE GOVERNMENT OF SAINT LUCIA HAS PLACED A HIGH IMPORTANCE ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND WE ARE EXCITED BY THE SKILLS WHICH WILL BE IMPARTED TO DELEGATES DURING THIS WEEK. SUCH MEETINGS ALWAYS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR NETWORKS TO BE STRENGTHENED AS WELL AS FOR NEW ONES TO BE FORMED. ONE OF THE GOALS OF THIS WORKSHOP IS THAT MEMBERS BE PROVIDED WITH THE TRAINING FOR PREPARING OF A NATIONAL MITIGATION PLAN. WITH THE BASIC INFORMATION AND TRAINING IMPARTED THE GOVERNMENT WILL ENCOURAGE THE FORMATION OF A NATIONAL MITIGATION STRATEGY.

SINCE BECOMING PRIME MINISTER, IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION AT ONE OF THE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS MEETINGS, THAT A CONCERN HERE IS THE LOW ADHERENCE TO BUILDING CODES.
THERE SEEM TO BE A DETERMINED EFFORT TO AVOID PROPER BUILDING PRACTICES.
IN SOME CASES, POVERTY DOES NOT DICTATE OTHERWISE. HOWEVER, IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE PURSUE INITIATIVES AIMED AT REDUCING THE VULNERABILITY OF OUR PEOPLE PARTICULARLY THOSE IN PLACES OF HIGH HAZARD SUCH AS LOW LYING COASTAL AREAS.

I AM ADVISED, THAT AT PRESENT, THE GOVERNMENT OF SAINT LUCIA HAS BEFORE IT A DRAFT BUILDING CODE WHICH WAS PREPARED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE UNITED NATIONS CENTER FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AND THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR THE OECS AND THE CARICOM. I AM PLEASED TO NOTE THAT THE UPDATING OF THIS CODE HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT WITH ASSISTANCE OF THE OAS AND THE CARIBBEAN DISASTER MITIGATION PROJECT. AS MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUBJECT OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS I WILL FOLLOW THE PROGRESS IF THIS DRAFT SO THAT IT DOES GET THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES.

FINALLY, MR. CHAIRMAN, I WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO RECEIVING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THIS WORKSHOP ON MY DESK AS EARLY AS NEXT WEEK.

ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE OF SAINT LUCIA, I HAVE MUCH PLEASURE IN DECLARING THIS DISASTER MITIGATION PLANNING WORKSHOP OPEN.

THANK YOU