Boddentowners form disaster group

(CNS): A group of residents in Pease Bay, Bodden Town has come together to form their own subgroup of the Bodden Town District Emergency Response Committee to deal with the aftermath of disasters. Joseph Woods a resident of the community is leading the core group that will coordinate efforts to respond to the neighbor hoods immediate needs. Woods explained that following an emergency such as a hurricane the community wants to be able to survive on its own in case central government resources are compromised.

Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) noted that in the aftermath of a significant impact such as a major hurricane, it is possible that central government may be unable to immediately or effectively respond to the needs of a community such as Pease Bay. It is therefore highly recommended that each community has in place a structure that will enable it to cope and survive on its own until assistance from the state can be provided.

“We want to be able to account for each resident in Pease Bay before and after an event,” said Woods. “We are just dealing with an area that can be effectively covered by foot and we are now gathering the details of all the residents.  In addition we are putting together lists of the vulnerable and elderly in our community, logging our assets such as chain saws, collecting all the phone details, the various skill sets and information about where our residents plan to shelter and so on.”

He explained that some residents have heavy equipment that could be used to assist in the removal of debris from the roads and some have medical training to assist in rendering first aid and saving lives. “There are also some skilled construction workers within the community that might be able to help in the drying and covering of a resident house – at least one room – if a catastrophic roof loss occurs.  We want to ensure that in the aftermath of a catastrophic event that the people of Pease Bay will have basic necessities such as food and water.”

The group had its first meeting on August 6, at the Webster Memorial Church Hall, Bodden Town.

Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) Deputy Director Omar Afflick outlined how working groups like the one in Pease Bay are well on their way to being established in North Side and Prospect, and a highly functioning group is already in operation in the Belford Estates area of Bodden Town. In addition to things like minor search and rescue, food and water distribution and shuttering, one of the important functions of the DERCs is to act as liaison with the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).

“We expect each group to perform an initial damage assessment in their area and report back to the NEOC, to assist in the process quickly determining which communities have sustained the most significant impact and with that information we can then direct the appropriate resources of the state accordingly,” added Afflick.

Joey Woods another memberof the group said that once the team is fully established there could be a person on each street in Pease Bay who would have a good idea of what is going on and be able to check on neighbours, knock on doors and report back. “We are really hoping the whole community gets involved in this. Together we can make Pease Bay a stronger and more resilient community and make it through an event when disaster strikes,” he added.

Anyone who is interested in being involved in the District Emergency Response Committees can contact HMCI Public Awareness and Communications Officer Simon Boxall on Tel. 926-2027 or by email at simon.boxall@gov.ky