State Minister LaRoda – “with improving and expanding our early warning systems and our styles of communication, we can reduce damage, save money, and most importantly, save lives”

Sat, Oct 15th 2022, 10:17 AM

The Hon. Myles LaRoda, Minister of State in the office ofthe Prime Minister with responsibility for Disaster Preparedness, Managementand Reconstruction affirmed The Bahamas is moving towards implementing earlywarning systems as a mitigating tool in the fight against natural disasters.

He made the statement at a Disaster Risk Reduction Summit held Thursdaymorning, October 13, 2022 at Baha Mar Resort. There, a Memorandum ofUnderstanding for Cooperation and Exchange was signed between the Universityof The Bahamas and the University of Hawaii facilitating research and training indisaster risk reduction.

The event coincided with ‘International Day for Disaster Reduction’ – October 13,which is set aside by the United Nations to encourage countries to build moredisaster resilient communities.

“I am delighted to welcome you all to the first recognition of the InternationalDay of Disaster Risk Reduction in The Bahamas. And today we gather to recognizeand speak about the theme: Early Warning Systems,” he said.

State Minister LaRoda continued, the Government of The Bahamas is resolute inevolving its disaster management procedures and protocols to mitigate or lessenthe impact of hazards—natural or otherwise: “While the hazards and risks we facecannot be prevented, we must continue to strategize to prepare and rebuild ourcommunities in the face of a hazard, and a way to do this is through developingand implementing early warning systems in our holistic approach to disastermanagement.”

He shared that the UN reports that by 2030 the world could face one-and-a-halfdisaster events a day. But less than a third of the world’s population is covered byearly warning systems. Early Warning Systems are regarded as an adaptivemeasure to hazard impact and climate change. It is a system that allows warninginformation to be generated and disseminated in a timely and meaningful mannerto individuals, communities and organizations threatened by a hazard, with thepurpose to give them sufficient time to prepare and act.

“Increasing the availability and advancing technology in early warning systems ismore urgent than ever,” Mr. LaRoda noted, adding that The Bahamas Departmentof Meteorology along with public and private partner organizations haveintroduced and implemented several innovative early warning systems in TheBahamas.

“Our Early Warning Systems assist public officials and our team in the long run inour disaster risk reduction efforts,” he remarked, adding: “with improving andexpanding our early warning systems and our styles of communication, we canreduce damage, save money, and most importantly, save lives.

“If we develop and utilize Early Warning Systems that are multi-hazard focused,end-to-end, and people-centered we will continue to build resilience acrosscountries that are most at risk.

“Now is the time to put words into action, because only together can we makeprogress to a more safe and resilient country,” State Minister LaRoda said.

 

The Hon. Myles LaRoda, Minister of State in the office of
the Prime Minister with responsibility for Disaster Preparedness, Management
and Reconstruction affirmed The Bahamas is moving towards implementing early
warning systems as a mitigating tool in the fight against natural disasters.
He made the statement at a Disaster Risk Reduction Summit held Thursday
morning, October 13, 2022 at Baha Mar Resort. There, a Memorandum of
Understanding for Cooperation and Exchange was signed between the University
of The Bahamas and the University of Hawaii facilitating research and training in
disaster risk reduction.
The event coincided with ‘International Day for Disaster Reduction’ – October 13,
which is set aside by the United Nations to encourage countries to build more
disaster resilient communities.
“I am delighted to welcome you all to the first recognition of the International
Day of Disaster Risk Reduction in The Bahamas. And today we gather to recognize
and speak about the theme: Early Warning Systems,” he said.
State Minister LaRoda continued, the Government of The Bahamas is resolute in
evolving its disaster management procedures and protocols to mitigate or lessen
the impact of hazards—natural or otherwise: “While the hazards and risks we face
cannot be prevented, we must continue to strategize to prepare and rebuild our
communities in the face of a hazard, and a way to do this is through developing
and implementing early warning systems in our holistic approach to disaster
management.”
He shared that the UN reports that by 2030 the world could face one-and-a-half
disaster events a day. But less than a third of the world’s population is covered by
early warning systems. Early Warning Systems are regarded as an adaptive
measure to hazard impact and climate change. It is a system that allows warning
information to be generated and disseminated in a timely and meaningful manner
to individuals, communities and organizations threatened by a hazard, with the
purpose to give them sufficient time to prepare and act.
“Increasing the availability and advancing technology in early warning systems is
more urgent than ever,” Mr. LaRoda noted, adding that The Bahamas Department
of Meteorology along with public and private partner organizations have
introduced and implemented several innovative early warning systems in The
Bahamas.
“Our Early Warning Systems assist public officials and our team in the long run in
our disaster risk reduction efforts,” he remarked, adding: “with improving and
expanding our early warning systems and our styles of communication, we can
reduce damage, save money, and most importantly, save lives.
“If we develop and utilize Early Warning Systems that are multi-hazard focused,
end-to-end, and people-centered we will continue to build resilience across
countries that are most at risk.
“Now is the time to put words into action, because only together can we make
progress to a more safe and resilient country,” State Minister LaRoda said.
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