Governments are quick to respond by supplying necessary emergency relief. The mega-floods which devastated northern Venezuela in December 1999 resulted in thousands of deaths and millions of dollars in property damage. Venezuela, too, mobilized relief from both internal and external sources.

Emergency relief, however, needs to be complemented by long-term strategies of risk assessment and disaster preparedness. For example the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Caribbean Project on Preparedness to Climate Variability and Global Change, aims to strengthen the capabilities of national meteorological offices to monitor and predict climatic phenomena in 18 countries in the region. The ACS chairs the Supervisory Board of the project, which is supported by the World MeteorologicalOrganisation (WMO) and financed by the Government of Finland.

Floods and hurricanes underscore the ecological and social vulnerability of the region to global climate change and severe weather episodes. Finland is supporting the SIDS process because of the meteorological importance of the region and to take advantage of the lessons learnt from similar cooperation projects in neighbouring Central America. Finland will also assist the Caribbean region in the upgrading of meteorology and hydrology of the area.

The ACS interest in the project stems from the scope for synergies with its programme of functional cooperation in the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters in the Greater Caribbean region. Hence upgrading of meteorological systems is crucial to the strengthening of Early Warning Systems (EWS), which in turn is essential for disaster preparedness.

The development of Early Warning Systems is one of the best-examples of ongoing regional cooperation. An EWS Project, for instance, is scheduled for early 2003 at the ACS headquarters in Port of Spain. Participants from several regional countries will exchange experiences, facilitated by experts supplied by the Government of Germany, a country which also suffered a recent experience of flooding disasters. The seminar will assist countries in the region to develop and refine their EWS strategies.

Another aspect of disaster mitigation that is easy to overlook is the importance of suitable practices and standards in the construction of commercial and residential buildings. An ACS project, supported by Italy through the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) aims to create an updated and comprehensive set of regional codes and standards for wind and earthquake loads. Dissemination of improved construction practices and techniques to users is an integral part of the project.

Finally, what happens after relief-what about reconstruction and rehabilitation? At this time the ACS is about to begin a British-financed feasibility study for the creation of a regional Post-Disaster Fund. The fund would go beyond the provision of relief, assisting people to rebuild, after a disaster has struck.

The floods may come again, but good planning and better practices should help to mitigate the sweat and the tears.

Professor Norman Girvan is Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States. The views expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Feedback can be sent to mail@acs-aec.org.

(ends)

November 15, 2002