The International Organization for Migration IOM officially handed over 16 repaired, rehabilitated and equipped emergency shelters to the government of Dominica at a Closing Ceremony held in Canefield on Monday 24 June for the “Support Emergency Preparedness through Emergency Shelter” project, funded by USAID.
Achievements under the project included retrofitting of 16 emergency shelters, provision of emergency equipment and supplies to these 16 shelters, capacity building and training activities in several emergency-related topics including emergency communications (ham radios), first aid and fire safety, psychosocial support, gender-based violence, evacuation procedures, community emergency response (CERT) and emergency shelter management. Education and information materials were widely distributed through the communities assisted, including through community meetings with the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) and respective Village Councils and disaster committees, and facilitated by IOM. Thirty-one people, including members of the Dominica Association of Disabled Persons (DAPD) were trained to use Ham radios, and 30 units of equipment are being donated to targeted communities based on vulnerability to hazards. Ten families still living in emergency shelters also received assistance to leave these shelters and resettle or relocate in a dignified manner.
Minister of the Environment, Climate Resilience, Disaster Management and Urban Renewal, Joseph Isaac expressed national gratitude saying “on behalf of the Ministry, Government and people of Dominica, I want to profusely thank the International Organization for Migration, (IOM) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for their invaluable contribution to emergency shelter management in Dominica.”
The Minister acknowledged that this training and capacity building in emergency topics is very timely, in the context of Dominica having been ravaged by hurricane Maria with more than 25 thousand households having been impacted, including shelters. “I would like to therefore commend IOM, USAID and other partners for a tremendous job.” Minister Isaac also thanked the government and non-government partners including the shelter managers who contributed to the success of the project.
Honourable Joseph Isaac also took the opportunity to announce that new Comprehensive Disaster Management legislation would soon be put in place to build on the work which has been done by Government and non-government partners, including IOM, to support the vision of making Dominica the first climate resilient country in the world. “We are on the path to doing it…This is one of our policy initiatives to support all the work that IOM is doing.”
Minister Isaac reminded the Dominican public that emergency response is not to be politicized, as the impacts of disasters are not politically biased. Minister Isaac encouraged all Dominicans to develop disaster plans in preparation for emergencies, acknowledging that preparation must begin at the household level.
Local Government Commissioner and Chairperson of the Emergency Shelter Subcommittee of that National Emergency Planning Organization (NEPO) Mr. Glenroy Toussaint expressed his elation and that of the Subcommittee at the accomplishments under the project, and the close collaboration with the IOM, beginning from the conceptualization and extending throughout. He explained the logic that was used in choosing the shelters for repair – giving priority to communities that had no shelter or are more vulnerable.
One of the notable achievements was the development of Dominica´s first Emergency Shelter Management Manual, through a fully consultative process facilitated by IOM. Mr. Toussaint encouraged that all members of the public should engage with the manual to understand what their role would be in the event of an emergency where they might be displaced from their home into a shelter. The Emergency Shelter Manual is now available on the IOM Dominica Facebook page and during July, will be uploaded on the ODM website http://odm.gov.dm
The culmination of the IOM project was a celebration of the tremendous collaborations that led to the success of the project, and Chief of Mission of the IOM used the opportunity to thank the donor, USAID, and numerous contributors including the Ministry of Environment, Climate Resilience, Disaster Management and Urban Renewal; the Office of Disaster Management (ODM), the Local Government Commissioner and Staff, Ministries of Health, Education and Information, the Adult Education Division, The Dominica Amateur Radio Club Inc, National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, Fire and Police Departments, Dominica Association of People with Disabilities, Dominica Red Cross, IsraAID, Lifeline Ministries, the Mennonites, Village, City and Town Councils, Emergency Shelter Managers, the Grotto Home for the Homeless, the Waitukubuli Artist Association, local and international suppliers, the media and the IOM team.
Chief of Mission of IOM Dominica, Jan-Willem Wegdam expressed that IOM is happy to have exceeded all the objectives and finished the 9-month project on time. He made special mention of the Mennonites, a US-based faith group which sent volunteers after TS Erika and again after Maria. Because of their volunteer labour, IOM was able to make significant savings, and increase its original objective to support repair, rehabilitation and equipping of 4 additional emergency shelters, for a total of 16.
Project Manager Dimitris Champesis expressed his contentment for the high-quality collaboration with the national institutions but, most importantly, the Dominican society. He stated that the project facilitated the delivery of much more results than originally planned, almost double in some cases, thanks to the positive reaction and the eagerness of the people. He praised the coordinators that endorsed and practically supported the efforts as well as the artists that created murals with strong disaster-related messaging in five schools, that will remain as a visible legacy of this collective effort.
