National EOC members get time to recharge, refocus

MEMBERS OF THE National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), were engaged in a psychosocial support retreat last Thursday, June 24, to give them time to refocus and recharge.

The retreat took place at the Miami International Seminary (MINTS) Study Centre, Arnos Vale, and involved “the men and women who are at the helm of managing and co-ordinating the volcanic emergency an opportunity to slow down and focus a bit on their emotional, social, mental and spiritual needs, after working tirelessly over the past few months to manage the volcano emergency,” a release states.

The retreat is the first in a series which will be held with different groups engaged in managing the emergency, such as the shelter management teams, the persons working at the secretariat of the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO), the call Centre, various warehouses and distribution hubs.

The retreat was facilitated by Dr. George Fredericks, former pastor of the Pentecostal Assembly of the West Indies, and a MINTS Senior Lecturer and Counsellor. Pastor Dr. Walford Thompson, senior pastor of the Arnos Vale Covenant Assembly (AVCA), and Rev. Paul Duncan, academic dean of the Miami International Seminary also addressed the group and expressed their appreciation of all the workers involved in the volcano emergency response.

An ongoing programme is already in place for psychosocial intervention for evacuees and other displaced persons living in private homes, and supported by the counsellors from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of National Mobilisation, the Ministry of Education, MINTS and various churches.