Strengthening National Emergency Management Organization

closed

The threat from Hurricane Mitch during the last week in October 1998 led to the evacuation of many Belizeans from coastal areas and the cayes, with some 27,000 persons taking refuge in public shelters throughout the country. Although the performance of the responsible agencies and individuals was commendable, the recent emergency pointed to the need for improvements in the management of preparedness, relief and mitigation activities. Therefore the Government of Belize has sought the support of the IDB in its efforts to rehabilitate infrastructure damaged during the passage of Hurricane Mitch through the region, as well as to enhance its preparedness to manage similar disasters in the future. Other countries in the region (DR, HO, NI) have included these objectives as componentes in their respective emergency loan operations. In that context, this technical cooperation's general objective is to contribute to disaster preparedness through the enhancement in a timelly fashion of the national capacity for emergency management. This will be achieved basically through the specific objectives of: i) institutional strengthening of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), which is the agency responsible for overseeing and coordinating national relief efforts in the event of actual or threatened hazards; ii) reinforcing of the current general emergency management system; and iii) design and installation of a training, education and community participation program on the subject.