ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, April 27, 2017 – GIS: The Minister with responsibility for Disaster management, Senator Winston Garraway, has highlighted the importance of a contingency planning workshop which got under way here on Thursday.

The workshop Thursday and Friday brings together representatives from the public sector and focuses on contingency plans to mitigate against disasters.

Senator Garraway told the opening that contingency planning is extremely important since it puts measures in place for a country to rebound from a disaster and resume operations.

“It is important in ensuring that the mechanisms that are put in place are adequate, functional and responsive to this ever changing society. It is important in ensuring that our country is never again plunged into the abyss of pain and despair like it was in the immediate aftermath of hurricane Ivan in 2004”, Senator Garraway said.

Thirty public sector officers are  at the National Stadium, attending the workshop which aims to expose key stakeholders of the public sector on Contingency Planning, in alignment to the national priorities.

The National Disaster Management Agency plans to carry out a series of simulation exercises to test the contingency plans which would be drawn up as a result of the workshop.

“Such level of planning that involves all the sectors sets the stage for avoidance, en route for possible and effective response to a disaster,”senator Garraway explained. 

“Always remember, time spent in planning is time saved in responding; and plans gathering dust on shelves is a recipe for disaster”.

The two-day exercise is being funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).