Union Island to stay in touch with new tool

16.NOV.07

The Union Island community, and in particular the members of the UI Disaster Management Committee, will be the recipients of a modern communications tool to enable that community to stay in touch with the rest of the world should telephone and Internet services fail in the aftermath of any natural or man-made disaster.{{more}}

The equipment and associated hardware, donated by the National Commercial Bank (NCB) include a multimode, multi band SSB transceiver, an automatic antenna tuner, switching power supply, VHF/UHF portable antenna, pipe and cement to secure the antenna poles.

Following an Emergency Communications (Emcoms) training workshop arranged by NEMO last year and

conducted by Donald De Riggs, Director of the Rainbow Radio League (RRL), De Riggs informed the trainees that he would enter negotiations with a local company to finance the much needed equipment, as no equipment was left for the people to use.

The opportunity came while on a journey to Georgetown on a photographic assignment for the bank, when the matter was raised with Cheryl Rodriguez, Marketing Manager of the NCB, . Rodriguez thought that is was a good project to support, as it was a project beneficial to the government and people of SVG. The RRL was asked to submit a formal request and now the original request of having their own emergency radio equipment, made by the residents of Union Island, is one step closer to becoming reality.

The equipment is scheduled to be installed today, Friday, November 16 and tomorrow, Saturday, November 17, with the handing over arranged for Sunday, November 18. The handing over ceremony will be preceded by a training session for existing and new members involved with Disaster Management in Union Island. The equipment will also be used as an early warning system, as it has the capability to tune in to frequencies where the latest weather, seismic and maritime information is available. The RRL contribution to this project is in the form of free installation and training.

This installation of emergency radio equipment will be the seventh, other equipment having been placed in vulnerable communities including Mayreau, Fancy, Rose Hall, Belmont, Bequia and RRL HQ at Campden Park.

These installations are part of a national Emcoms plan between NEMO and the RRL. Both organisations have been working together for more than 14 years. (DD)