Recently the media has been highlighting
calls for compensation by Caroni Villagers for damages caused by flooding
in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Emily.
The media coverage focused on the Villagers'
claims of lack of support by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management
(ODPM) formerly NEMA, towards the residents of Caroni.
The ODPM wishes to inform the media of the following facts regarding this situation:
1. The ODPM is a coordinating agency and relies on its supporting agencies to provide the response mechanism from which relief can be assessed.
2. After a natural disaster, trained Damaged Assessment and Needs Analysis (DANA) teams from the Fire Service, Regional Corporations and the Ministry of Social Development are immediately deployed to affected regions. These teams are required to visit each affected resident to fill out the DANA form, which has to be signed by both parties.
3. The information on the completed DANA forms is then used for providing relief based on the affected families economic situation and other relevant factors. With regards to the distribution of hampers. Our information is that over one hundred (100) hampers have been distributed to the residents of Frederick Settlement and environs.
4. These hampers were distributed by the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation (the Corporation responsible for Frederick Settlement), the Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross and SHARE (Ministry of Social Development). The rationale for the distribution of these hampers was based on an evaluation by these Agencies of residents' urgent needs at that time. During the initial survey of flooding in Caroni, twenty- five (25) mattresses were distributed to families in need by the ODPM.
5. The DANA exercise is now complete and the process of finalizing compensation has begun. This exercise is a collaborative effort between the Regional Corporation, the Ministry of Social Development and the ODPM.
We hope that the above provides the media with a better understanding of compensation, for not only Caroni Villagers, but for all those who were affected by Tropical Storm Emily.