St. Elizabeth to Review Draft Parish Disaster Risk Management Plan

The St. Elizabeth Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee will be meeting shortly to review the draft outline of the Parish Disaster Risk Management Plan.

The document, developed by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), will assist the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation in creating and refining its local disaster plan.

Acting Parish Disaster Coordinator at the municipal corporation, Rasha Lloyd, explained that the committee will examine the draft, with the aim of creating a tailored development plan specific to the realities and vulnerabilities of the breadbasket parish.

“This meeting is to include the mayor and other agencies who are part of the Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee,” she noted.

She was addressing Tuesday’s (September 16) Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee meeting at the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation in Black River.

Development of the Parish Disaster Risk Management Plan aligns with Sections 4 and 23 of the Disaster Risk Management Act of 2015, which mandates disaster preparedness planning at the parish level.

Meanwhile, with the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season in its peak period, Ms. Lloyd said the parish remains in a state of readiness for any eventuality.

“We have completed preparations regarding [emergency] items and we have these items in the storeroom [at the Municipal Corporation],” Ms. Lloyd said, adding that all the relevant agencies have their own preparations in place.