On Wednesday, June 16, the United States Embassy in Barbados along with other U.S. Embassies in the English-speaking Caribbean, joined the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to host a virtual session titled, “Producing Effective Video for Social Media.” The event is part of an ongoing Crisis Communication TechCamp, which is bringing together over 30 journalists, government information officers, disaster management professionals, and social media influencers from countries throughout the Eastern Caribbean with the aim of providing familiarity with digital tools and training to decipher disinformation in crisis situations such as natural disasters.
Read more: CDEMA and United States Embassy Host Social Media Workshop for Journalists
SITUATION OVERVIEW
An update from Guyana’s Civil Defense Commission (CDC) on 10 June, 2021 reported the following:
- A Tropical Wave embedded within the ITCZ is currently affecting Guyana resulting in heavy rainfall during the month of May, which has continued into June.
- Spatial comparison between the total rainfall for May 2021 against the May Normal (average for 1991 2020) suggests that there was significant increase in rainfall across the country during May of this year.
Read more: SITUATION REPORT #1 - HINTERLAND FLOODING, GUYANA
Bridgetown, Barbados June 10, 2021 - The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Regional Training Centre and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) collaborated to host a webinar on the application of KoBoToolbox, a data collection and management tool widely used in humanitarian emergencies. The virtual event was held on June 9th, 2021 and chaired by Richardo Aiken, CDB Community Development Specialist, with a total of 220 persons from CDEMA Participating States, CDB Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs), and Canada registered.
Read more: CDEMA and CDB partner to enhance Emergency Data Collection Capacity in the Caribbean
Bridgetown, Barbados June 1, 2021– The 2021 Hurricane Season has officially commenced and CDEMA is charting the way for its 19 Participating States in the existing multi hazard environment. The Colorado State University forecast an above normal Atlantic basin and, further to this forecast, the Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, predicted 13 to 20 named storms, of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes, including 3 to 5 major hurricanes.
Read more: CDEMA strengthens its resilience framework for the 2021 Hurricane Season
Bridgetown, Barbados May 27th, 2021 – As the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season approaches, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), with support from the World Bank, is launching an initiative to improve disaster preparedness and resilience in the region. Coined “Disaster Fighters”, the initiative includes participation from current and former cricketers, Caribbean musical talent, and other influential figures to spread critical survival messages related to hurricanes, volcanoes, COVID-19 and other hazards.
Read more: CDEMA launches regional Disaster Fighters campaign for 2021 hurricane season
Bridgetown, Barbados May 25th, 2021 – The High Commission of Canada to Barbados and the OECS officially handed over a Deployment Package to CDEMA to support its Response Units on May 19, 2021. The package, worth over CAD$15,000, was funded through the Targeted Support to CDEMA Project and equips teams with backpacks, hats, insulated water bottles and waterproof mobile phone cases.
Read more: CDEMA receives Deployment Package from Global Affairs Canada