My fellow colleagues and citizens of the world, at the genesis of life on this planet, among the species that have occupied the earth, the human kind has been given a responsibility to manage it.
Over time we have shared the earth with many hazards that have threaten our survival to the gross point of extinction.
The humankind has been most vulnerable, but resilient. On the other hand, our sustainability has depended greatly on nature and our environment. Our anthropology suggest a great lot; where we came from, how much we have encountered, our geographic location on the planet, our diversities and faith are all testimonies of our resolve.
Lessons learnt from our past and recent events are real and instructive. The Atlantic hurricanes are always with us, from Hurricane Flora of 1963 to Tomas of 2011 have had their effect on us, not forgetting the impact of the1997 earthquake swam on Tobago’s residents, and public buildings. One key lesson learnt is that the recovery and reconstruction process is long and costly.
In essence there are some key concepts that we ascribe to, these are fundamental and form the rudiments of our Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Strategy.
As director, the strategic direction and path that TEMA traverses and how well we stay on the course is my responsibility. Our mission is one that speaks to the coordination of a number of agencies and key individuals; we direct tactically their resources towards life preservation and property protection inclusive of the environment. These are collectively major responsibilities that have the support of the executive of the Tobago House of Assembly. This is evident by our showings over the past 14 years of the establishment of the disaster office in Tobago. Hence our mandate is strongly influenced by a number of disciplines and frame works internationally, regionally and nationally.
I want to re-assure both the executive and the public to whom we are committed to serve, the core values and guiding principles to which our staff pledge; our mission and vision are supported by goals that are specific, measureable, attainable and realistic.
Fellow disaster management colleagues I feel compelled to remind all; annually the United Nations sets the13th of October as a time the world celebrates Disaster Risk Reduction. On this occasion, we in Tobago shall recognize this day, as a day to celebrate our achievements in disaster risk reduction and conduct a critical performance appraisal based on our risk index and set benchmarks. This is an ambitious goal that forms part of a national agenda of the people of the republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Allan Stewart,
Director,
TEMA
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The 152.180 MHz is located at Flag Staff Hill, Charlotteville and is aided by a link radio which enables both repeaters to speak to each other. This application provides a wider area network coverage from Charlotteville to Crown Point.
