Agriculture Ministry’s risk management capacity strengthened as the ODPM hands-over some $75,000 worth in disaster relief items

Agriculture Ministry’s risk management capacity strengthened as the ODPM hands-over some $75,000 worth in disaster relief items

March 01, 2020:- In recognition of the critical role which the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (MALF) performs in disaster response and recovery, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) presented the Ministry with emergency equipment valued at approximately $75,000.00. Items included axes, fire blankets, rescue harness ropes, fuel containers and fuel/gas cans.

The event which took place on Friday 28th February, 2020, at the alternate National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) in Mausica, formed part of the ODPM “push” supply chain distribution system, which is intended to improve the overall efficiency of disaster management, by ensuring that critical emergency items for the public are pre-positioned with responders.

In delivering the feature address, Minister of National Security, the Honourable Stuart Young said the decentralisation of disaster stores was “long overdue” and that it was “common sense” to have a “spread” of these resources with the help of multi-sector agencies.

Permanent Secretary (Ag.) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Ms. Susan Shurland lauded the occasion and said: “Our staff at the Ministry already serve as first responders through our Engineering and Horticultural Services Divisions and I am happy to see the formalisation of this inter-ministerial and inter-agency collaboration towards the fulfilment of our collective responsibility to human safety and well-being.”

Ms. Shurland added, “The Ministry of Agriculture will continue to do its part in servicing and responding to the needs of its key stakeholders – namely farmers – but now, because our alliance with the ODPM has endowed us with more equipment and supplies, we are able to operate more efficiently when treating with disasters.”

Also speaking at the event were Senator the Honourable Kazim Hosein, Minister of Rural Development and Local Government and the Chief Executive Officer of the ODPM, Major General (Ret’d) Rodney Smart.

A total of nine (9) organisations; four (4) Government Ministries and five (5) agencies were selected to be custodians of pre-positioned disaster relief items. These included the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (MALF); the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government; the Ministry of Health; the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services; the Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) Defence Force; the T&T Police Service; the T&T Fire Service; the Tobago Emergency Management Agency and the T&T Red Cross Society.

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