Lessons learned help kids ‘prepare for disaster’

(CNS): The deputy governor has called on young people to up to the challenge and get involved in the disaster risk reduction effort which will help them in the future. Lessons learned in Hurricane Ivan revealed just how much children can be traumatized by such events that entirely disrupt their regular schedules. During his International Day for Disaster Reduction message Donovan Ebanks said it was essential the unique perspectives of children and young people are included in disaster risk reduction. The UN day is celebrated each year on 13 October and this year, the theme is: “Making Youth Partners for Disaster Risk Reduction.”

“Studies show that children often find it difficult to cope with unexpected and painful interruptions to their regular schedules. On average each child in the Cayman Islands lost over forty days of school following the passage of Hurricane Ivan.,” Ebanks said.

“New schools and the remodeling of existingestablishments have made school buildings more resilient to the impacts of disasters. Since the passage of hurricane Ivan there has been a strong commitment from the successive governments to take appropriate steps to protect children and to adopt a child centred approach to disaster risk reduction. It is clear that schools must be safe and that education must be interrupted as little as possible.”

See the full message below