Programs & Events
The USAID/OFDA funded project with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System (TCHWS) Project held a two-day workshop in Port of Spain, Trinidad on October 28-29, 2009. The purpose of the workshop was to advance work done on the development of public awareness and education products under the TCHWS project working through regional officers with responsibly for public awareness within the National Disaster Offices, education curriculum development specialists and teachers from CDEMA Participating States. The workshop introduced, reviewed and enhanced draft materials, namely: i) a suite of multi-media products for use among the general populations and ii) teacher educational material for the 12-15 year group.
Participants from the region provided input and feedback on the technical and practical soundness of the materials, as well as, the suitability of the educational products for inclusion in the educational curricula across the region. CDEMA will use the information from this workshop to refine the deliverables under the project and when complete, will distribute them to all member states of CARICOM as part of the public awareness program. Relevant documents will also be available for download from websites of CDEMA ( www.Cdera.org) and its partners.
The workshop was held in association with the Seismic Research Centre (SRC), University of the West Indies, which is responsible for the development of the products, and Trinidad and Tobago's (T & T) Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM). The workshop was formally opened with remarks from Colonel George Robinson, Chief Executive Officer T & T's Office of Disaster Preparedness; Dr. Richard Robertson, Director of the SRC, UWI - Trinidad; Mr. Jeremy Collymore, Executive Director, CEMA; and USAID's Mansfield Blackwood. The Honorable Donna Cox, Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Trinidad and Tobago gave the feature address.