November 2, 2019 – The University of the West Indies’ Seismic Research Center (UWI-SRC), in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), will be hosting the second in a series of five-day training sessions with volunteers.
This time, it’s the turn of volunteers in the north leeward communities under the volcano ready communities project. The project aims to prepare communities to manage potential impacts of La Soufrière Volcano and related hazards.
The “Volcano-Ready Communities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines” project targets 12 communities in the high-risk zones of La Soufrière. It specifically seeks to improve response capacities through training and risk assessment; develop a “Volcano-Ready” framework and toolkit for communities; and create public education and awareness materials to be shared with schools, businesses, and residents.
“We want to ensure that people here can live safely and resiliently and enjoy their lives, so that when bad things happen because of the environment that [they] won’t be knocked back as badly,” says NEMO Director, Michelle Forbes. Following successful completion of the project, St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be the first country in the Region to hold a “Volcano-Ready” designation. The 12 communities targeted during the two-year project have been divided into two groups. On the Windward side: Big Level, Colonarie, Fancy, Overland, Owia, Park Hill, Sandy Bay and South Rivers; and on the Leeward side: Chateaubelair, Fitz Hughes, Rose Hall and Spring Village.
The official Project Launch was held on April 6, 2018 at the Sandy Bay Government School, and attended by beneficiaries of approximately six of the targeted communities
. The project is being administered through CDB’s Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (CDRRF) and is supported by the Government of Canada and the European Union.
The workshop will be held at the Richmond Vale Academy at Richmond. It begins at 8.30 in the morning on Monday, November 3 and will run until Friday, November 8th.