The Department of Disaster Management, on behalf of the National Disaster Management Committee, will be coordinating its Annual Preparedness Drill on Friday, July 15th, 2022. This drill is a great opportunity for individuals, businesses and organisations to assess their properties – inclusive of shutters and other protective measures – to ensure they have all the equipment needed to protect their homes and businesses in the event that severe weather threatens. The exercise also enables the local business community a chance to review their Business Continuity Plans to ensure that they can respond and recover swiftly after any major event, while assisting in the safe restoration of critical and essential functions and services to their customers and community.
This year, the Preparedness Drill continues to be built on the virtual setting utilising an improved process spearheaded last year by the Essential Services Working Group. Private and Public Sectors will be asked to complete a short online questionnaire and follow up with a physical shuttering. Participants will then have the opportunity to conduct their own assessments on readiness to specific threats and hazards within their critical facilities. These assessments will help identify the state of assets, realise the condition of critical inventory, and assign the resources available to mitigate against risks and existing gaps. A testament to the verbiage ‘Together, we can make resilience a reality by focusing on continuous improvement while striving toward local mitigation and preparedness goals.’
According to the Director of Disaster Management Anguilla, Mr. Calvin A. Samuel, “early preparedness is key and the responsibility of everyone. The Protection of people, property and operations continue to be our priority. The Department of Disaster Management remains committed to ensuring the safety of the residents of Anguilla, and I am encouraging every resident, no matter where you live, to stay vigilant, as we strive to integrate a culture of resilience as part of our daily lives.”
The National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC) is urging individuals, Government Departments, Statutory Bodies, businesses and organisations to take part in this important preparedness drill and complete the online questionnaire on the 15th Day of July, 2022 by 4 pm. This is critical, as the resulting findings will be an integral part of assessing the readiness of public and private sector agencies to the impacts of disaster related hazards.
For questions or further information please call the Department of Disaster Management at 264-497-2926.
– Press Release
Department of Disaster Management
6th July 2022
