To say T&T is not ready for a major disaster is an understatement. Prof Winston Suite, an expert in disaster management and an engineer said this in a Sunday Guardian interview yesterday. His comment comes on the heels of the cataclysmic 7.0 magnitude earthquake which battered Haiti last Tuesday, leaving thousands dead and many more hungry and homeless. And just last Friday an earthquake of 5.6 magnitude was felt in Venezuela, and yesterday Haiti was hit by an aftershock measuring 4.5. Suite said he was in talks with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) for a national over-arching policy on disaster management and preparedness.
There must be a consolidation and revision of legislation, he said. "That has to be accelerated."
He said there were "bits of legislation" but the first thing that needed to be created was a national policy which would be a guide in terms of disaster management, which would also include man-made disasters. "We need to look at the critical infrastructure system, such as water, electricity, national security and hospitals urgently, in the scope of natural disasters."
T&T has potential for fires
Suite said though Haiti has not had an outbreak of fires, T&T has the potential for fires to occur during a disaster. "We are more developed, we have a lot of gas and fuels," he added. Speaking of the Industrial Estate in Pt Lisas, he questioned what would become of it as gas can escape and explosions can occur if there is a break in the pipeline during a disaster. Regarding an evacuation plan, he said, "What we need to do is develop, with a sense of urgency, an evacuation plan for our main population centres." He said alternative routes were needed. He asked, "If one route is cut off, could you supply the area with water and electricity?" In terms of shelters, Suite said, they must be specifically designed or hardened to withstand a disaste, and certain shools had to be retrofitted.
?Safety tips:
?n Stay calm, do not panic and stay alert
n If inside, do not run outside
n Stand in a strong doorway or under a sturdy table or bed and hold on, do not use electronic stairs or elevators
n Move away from heavy objects and glass windows
n If caught outside, stay away from electrical poles, glass buildings, do not stop under or on a bridge, continue driving cautiously.(