Nemo, a multifaceted organism – Beache

Senior officials gathered at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conference room last Wednesday, shared a theme of unity with the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), as they discussed the various components of the management of the disaster of Christmas 2013.{{more}}

Personnel from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, and the St Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross Association, a non-government agency, all rallied around NEMO, which has come under fire following the heavy rains and flooding on Christmas Eve into Christmas Day.

NEMO, headed by director Howie Prince, has been criticized for what some believe is its failure to warn residents of the impending rains, and recently, criticisms have been levelled by some over the delivery and distribution of aid.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, at the beginning of the press conference, identified Prince as not only the head of NEMO, but also the chairman of the executive committee of the National Emergency Management Council. Gonsalves also identified other persons at the head table and the institutions they represent as being members of the organization, as well as members of the district emergency management.

Chief education officer Louann Gilchrist and Nicole Bonadie-Baker, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, both gave reports on the committees that they represent on the National Emergency Management Council. The women said their ministry heads the emergency shelters committee of NEMO, since most schools are designated emergency shelters, a point that has had to be echoed to persons in the past.

“They do not understand that the Ministry of Education chairs a subcommittee of NEMO. The Chief education officer is the chief shelter manager, so I think we have to take the time for people to understand that all of us are NEMO… and NEMO is a national response mechanism for the country,” Bonadie-Baker, the chairperson of the shelter management committee stressed.

Chief medical officer Dr Simone Keizer-Beache also confirmed that her ministry heads a subcommittee of NEMO, the health services committee, of which she is the chairperson.

She indicated that the ministry has a national disaster plan, which is closely linked with the disaster plan of NEMO.

“Once we have an event, such as the one we had on December 24th, all of our members actually know our role. We worked closely as a part of NEMO.

“It is a multifaceted organism, where we all know our roles and we all work together, because the Ministry of Health does not have the capacity to work on its own, we have to work with the partners….”

Bernard Marksman, representing the St Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross Association, also indicated that his institution is a part of NEMO, and has been working along with the organization, especially in the distribution of materials. Marksman said that the Red Cross works closely with NEMO through its joint disaster recovery response team.(JJ)