Georgetown, GINA, July 3, 2012

Representatives of varying governmental agencies, who are stakeholders of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), today benefitted from a training session in “Damage Assessment”, which was held in the conference room of the Commission (CDC), Thomas Roads, Thomas Lands.

Today’s activity was the last capacity building session to be conducted by the agency tasked with the national coordination and implementation activities, ahead of “Operation Flood Gate 2012”, which will test the national response system and the Regional and National disaster plans that have been constructed.

Major Kester Craig, Operations/ Training Officer stressed the need for participants to understand the definition of basic concepts such as disaster, hazard, and emergency, as it is important for a Damage Assessor for accurate reporting and compilation of materials gathered in the field.

“We would not like to know that you are sent to assess a situation and you are told to compile a report…in your report you classify the incident as a disaster, whilst it is an emergency,” Major Craig said.

The training session, which ended in an in-door practical assessment, saw participants garnering knowledge in Disaster Risk Management in Guyana, Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis System in Guyana, Data Gathering, Damage Assessment Process and Mechanism, Teamwork and the Role of the Military in Disaster Management.

Major Craig added that Guyana’s geographic location; coupled with the fact that 70% of its population resides on the Coast which accounts for 75% of the country’s GDP, remains consistently vulnerable to flooding amongst other natural disasters.

The two-day training session will conclude tomorrow with participants conducting a practical, in-the-field assessment of a disaster area.

On Friday last, the CDC concluded its two-day training seminar in Emergency Operations Centre Management, which saw participants being trained to function in such a centre.

The CDC has, over the years, with support from Cabinet, worked tirelessly to build the country’s responsiveness to disaster in light of the eminent threat of climate change.

The agency continues to work determinedly to prepare a regional disaster plan for Regions One through Ten.

Operations Flood Gate 2012 will see such a plan for Region Three being tested, before its adaptation.