Governor lauds DDM for proactive, collaborative approach post-Irma

Governor John Rankin has praised the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) for its efforts following the passage of Hurricane Irma five years ago.

In a reflection on the aftermath of the devastating hurricanes that impacted the BVI at that time, the Governor pointed out that the DDM, for the last 20 years, has coordinated government’s comprehensive approach to potential disasters.

“This shift to incorporating planning, preparedness and mitigation well before any potential threat – as opposed to the old way of simply responding to events after the fact – has quietly safeguarded the BVI by preventing the vast majority of floods, storms and other hazards that have occurred, from overwhelming our local capacity to respond,” the Governor said.

Governor Rankin added: “There is no doubt that a large part of the success of the recovery from Hurricane Irma was due to this work bringing government, business and people together to build resilience in the face of a natural disaster.”

He also alluded to the preparatory work that he said happens collaboratively across sectors in order for such responses to be effective.

It is here, the Governor said, that representatives from key public services like law and order, security, health, education, and infrastructure help shape the national comprehensive disaster management strategy.