Previous Events

Trainings

Workshop on Contingency Planning for Mass Fatality Disasters
in the Caribbean

The workshop on management of mass fatalities after natural disasters, organized by the Pan American Health Organization, through its disaster management program was held in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, from 6-8 December 2006. The workshop was co sponsored by DFID and Disaster Management Department, British Virgin Islands. (More).

Leaders Course November 2006

LEADERS is a capacity-building course for professional development in the disaster risk reduction field which offers a balance between the development process, wide-ranging mitigation issues, effective preparedness and efficient response. (More)

Disasters and Disaster Response Activities

Past Major Disasters in the Region

Floods in Belize
The first named storms for the 2008 hurricane season hit Belize simultaneously and extensively impacted the coastal and southern areas of the country with severe flash floods. Tropical Storm Alma developed on the Eastern Pacific on 27 May and Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, hit Belize on 31 May.
TropStorms608.htm

Hurricane Dean
Hurricane Dean raced across the eastern Caribbean, a category 3 storm, ripping roofs off homes, downing trees and power lines but fortunately not causing widespread casualties. PAHO/WHO reports from Dominica, Saint Lucia and Martinique point to some damage to hospitals, particularly the Victoria Hospital, Saint Lucia’s main public hospital, located in the capital Castries with a capacity of 160 beds and the Princess Margaret Hospital (capacity 227 beds)which is the only hospital in Dominica. Hurricane Dean could strengthen to Category 4 by the time it reaches Jamaica and later Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. HurricaneDean807.htm

Jamaica Benefits from Response Operations after Hurricane Dean
Following an appeal after Hurricane Dean, PAHO received funds to support emergency needs in the health sector in Jamaica. These included the areas of coordination, epidemiological surveillance and repair of health facilities. (Read more)

Floods in Guyana
Guyana has been experiencing an excessive amount of rainfall. By mid-January, 27 inches of rain had fallen. This has caused considerable flooding along the coastal regions which are the most densely populated areas of Guyana. It is estimated that more than 70,000 persons in the Georgetown area are seriously affected by the floods. Along the coastal regions, the number is much higher. The Government of Guyana has several regions of the country as disaster areas. guyana0105.htm

Tropical Storm Jeanne
Jeanne is the tenth storm of the 2004 hurricane season. It has affected Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Jeanne.htm

Hurricane Ivan
Ivan was the worst hurricane of the 2004 season, leaving a path of destruction in the Caribbean. The Cayman Islands and Grenada suffered the brunt of the storm, although it also affected Cuba, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Jamaica. huracan-ivanhome.htm

Torrential rains and flooding in the Dominican Republic
Torrential rains began lashing the Dominican Republic last Friday, May 21, resulting in severe flooding in the northwest and north of the country and in the capital, Santo Domingo. The PAHO/WHO Office in Santo Domingo is assessing the damage and identifying the immediate needs of the affected population. dor0504.htm

Earthquake in the Dominican Republic
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurred in the Dominican Republic on Monday, 22 September. The quake struck 10 miles south Puerto Plata (pop 89,000) and 95 miles north northwest of the capital Santo Domingo. dor-eq-sep03.htm

Mass Gatherings

Cricket World Cup 2007

Much has been said about the gains and losses of the Caribbean countries that hosted the Cricket World Cup (CWC) in 2007. Attendance at the games was lower than expected, but there was no doubt that the health and security challenges posed by the mass gathering of people were serious ones. This was especially true given the limited experience of most countries in hosting events of this magnitude.

 “There is the threat of terrorism, and the threat of disease, so as a region we have to be prepared,” the Director of the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), Dr. Glenda Maynard, cautioned prior to the launch of the competition. The region responded by enhancing the health sector and building inter-country collaboration into the emergency response system. These preparations have been widely hailed among the CWC’s enduring legacies.
With the support of PAHO and CAREC, the countries expanded their capacity to respond to public health crises, cope with mass casualty events, and provide critical clinical care. These activities were administered by a CARICOM/CWC 2007 Health Sector Sub-Committee comprising CARICOM Ministers of Health. The Sub-Committee promoted an integrated approach to meeting regional health and security requirements and ensuring that International Cricket Council standards were observed.

A mass gathering surveillance system was established to help detect disease outbreaks or possible acts of biological terrorism. Data were reviewed daily, providing for prompt public health interventions and response. PAHO, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the European Union provided financial and technical support for these activities. Supplementing the surveillance system were “Roving Public Health Technical Teams,” comprised of public health nurses and senior environmental health officers who had expertise in food safety and port health.

CAREC, in collaboration with PAHO’s Office in Barbados, mounted a rigorous training program for public health personnel, especially in the area of foodborne diseases and the management of solid wastes. This included a training program for food vendors in each of the host countries, which, in the case of Barbados, involved just under 4,000 (nearly all) food vendors, in an exercise that ran for almost two years, ending in January 2007.

Disaster preparedness and management entities in all the countries participated in extensive mass casualty management training conducted by PAHO in the nine host countries over a two-year period. Significant investment was made in the health infrastructure.  This included upgrading hospitals and other health facilities and the purchase of new ambulances, radiology equipment, and equipment and supplies for emergency departments and clinics. Medical stations were erected at each stadium and other strategic sites, such as airports and hotels. These improvements will continue to enhance service delivery in the countries long beyond the events of the World Cup.

This is a condensed version of an article prepared by Clare Forrester, Communications Consultant for the CWC Health and Safety Sub-Committee.

CWC EOC Reports