The National Hazard Management Executive (NHME) of the Cayman Islands has received a comprehensive familiarisation briefing from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) which outlined the next steps for how Cayman can take advantage from its membership.

The session was an opportunity for Cayman’s leaders including His Excellency the Governor, Martyn Roper, Premier, Hon. Alden McLaughlin, the Acting Deputy Governor, Eric Bush, the Minister for Home Affairs, Hon. Tara Rivers and Hazard Management Cayman Islands Director, Danielle Coleman to hear findings and recommendations from a comprehensive disaster management audit of the Cayman Islands conducted by CDEMA.

Commenting after the meeting, the Governor said, “It is a testament to Hazard Management Cayman Islands that we scored so well in the Comprehensive Disaster Management Audit, and we stand ready to move forward in the areas highlighted for additional focus. I very much hope that CDEMA membership will be of significant benefit to the Cayman Islands in the coming years and would like to thank Elizabeth Riley, the Acting Executive Director of CDEMA for such a productive briefing.”

“All of us who have been through devastating storms and other national disasters know that it is vital that relief efforts are coordinated,” said Premier, Alden McLaughlin.

He continued, “This briefing provided extremely useful dialogue between Government and the Executive of CDEMA as we jointly plan for improving Cayman’s disaster resiliency going forward. The disaster management audit that CDEMA conducted will help us to fine tune our own disaster management plans and I look forward to a close and productive relationship between CDEMA and the Cayman Islands Government for many years to come.”

“Last year’s highly active hurricane season, the 7.7 magnitude earthquake and the global pandemic are all reminders that we share many of the same challenges with our neighbours in the region. Membership with CDEMA forms an important part of the national resilience and response plans for the Cayman Islands, enabling us to benefit from the collective knowledge and experience of our regional partners. We look forward to continuing to work with CDEMA in order to enhance our islands’ readiness and response mechanisms for all hazards now and into the 2021 hurricane season,” said Minister Tara Rivers.