Press Release
Regional IT and disaster management professionals trained in WebEOC Management
Bridgetown, Barbados, March 6, 2009 (CDERA) - Thirty-six (36) disaster management and information technology professionals from all sixteen (16) CDERA States received training this week, in the use of a Web based Emergency Operation Centre (WebEOC) at the Grand Barbados Hotel.
This is another step in using information technology to improve decision making that can save lives, property and livelihoods during emergency events in the Caribbean.
The training was made possible through a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) and the United States Southern Command (US SOUTHCOM) Humanitarian Affairs Division which is providing a US$1 million to implement the Web Emergency Operation Centre (WebEOC) initiative. This emergency operation system has the capacity to connect with multiple users and reach across remote locations and jurisdictions in the CDERA community.
Once this Web based information management infrastructure is fully operational, it will facilitate more effective communication and coordination among the CDERA Coordinating Unit, affected countries and supporting agencies through real time sharing of critical information. This means, that high level decision makers, emergency managers and first responders will have access to up-to-the-minute intelligence on the nature and exact location of disasters, as well as other critical details to inform emergency operations.
At the closing ceremony held today, Jeremy Collymore, Coordinator CDERA said ...
Dr. Brent Hardt, Charge d'Affaires, Unites States Agency for International Development said ....
The WebEOC hardware and software is currently being installed and the initial test for WebEOC will be during the US SOUTHCOM funded Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias (FAHUM) exercise to be held in the Caribbean in April 2009. The first stage of this exercise will test the communications capacity of the CDERA Regional Response Mechanism for pandemic influenza.
WebEOC will be available for use during the 2009 hurricane season where it will be further tested and it is expected that all CDERA States will be fully online by the end of 2010.