PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Last week, in a meeting held with Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, National Disaster Coordinator Clive Richardson and all stakeholders (ESF Emergency Support Functions) of the EOC met to discuss the current state of affairs to address several concerns in regards to disaster management plans and tsunami evacuation plans.
Prime Minister Jacobs was able to receive several updates on the status of the disaster management plans already in place from the various stakeholders.
“The Department of Communication (DCOMM), a department within the Ministry of General Affairs has already established a relationship with the community councils, public education and has plans to produce content in order to educate the community concerning Tsunami evacuations,” said Prime Minister Jacobs.
It was decided that the EOC will meet every month in order to strengthen the disaster strategy collectively. All ESF stakeholders will continue working on their tsunami evacuation plans and in the interim, research will also be carried out to better equip Government with the expertise needed on tsunamis. The EOC will be meeting again in the coming weeks to receive updates on these developments concluded Prime Minister Jacobs.
Prime Minister Jacobs also encourages the community of St. Maarten to download Government’s “Disaster Prep Sint Maarten” app, which is available on the Google Play Store. She said that “the Disaster App has been designed to provide pertinent information on disaster preparedness, give regular updates and alerts on emergencies that are taking place on the island.”
