Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency

The participating member states and agencies of the CDEMA include:

Country	Organisation
Anguilla	Department of Disaster Management (DDM)
Antigua and Barbuda	National Office of Disaster Services (NODS)
Bahamas	National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
Barbados	Department of Emergency Management (DEM)
Belize	National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO)
British Virgin Islands	Department of Disaster Management (DDM)
Dominica	Office of Disaster Management (ODM)
Grenada	National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA)
Guyana	Civil Defense Commission (CDC)
Haiti	Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC)
Jamaica	Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM)
Montserrat	Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA)
Saint Kitts and Nevis	National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
Saint Lucia	National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO)
Suriname	National Coordination Center For Disaster Relief (NCCR)
Trinidad and Tobago	Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM)
Turks and Caicos Islands	Department of Disaster Management & Emergencies (DDME)

The stated role of the CDEMA is to coordinate disaster response to member countries.[2] CDEMA personnel worked in Grenada and Jamaica in early September 2004 after the passage of Hurricane Ivan.

During the mid-1990s, CDEMA provided disaster support for the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano in Montserrat. The CDEMA also regularly monitors the Soufriere Hills volcano, in addition to the active undersea volcano named Kick 'em Jenny, to the north of Grenada. Members of the Regional Security System have also requested military and logistical assistance through the agency after natural disasters.

The Pan-Caribbean Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Project (PCDPPP) was established in July 1984 to control and minimize the damage caused by severe weather in the Caribbean region and the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to the establishment of the PCDPPP, disasters in the area were addressed via private donors, a method that was heavily dependent on others and failed to help the countries of the Caribbean's cause for independence.[3]

The PCDPPP was a collection of international sponsors such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Canadian International Development Agency, the Government of the Netherlands, and the United Nations Disaster Relief Organization (UNDRO). The PCDPPP failed to break the Caribbean's direct and indirect dependence on Europe and the United States. Ultimately, the PCDPPP failed to achieve full participation from Caribbean countries.

In 1989, after the widespread destruction of Hurricane Hugo, there was a focus on creating more effective natural disaster management and preparedness. In 1991 the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) was created.[4] CDERA was formed with 16 participating Caribbean nations. With this organization, Caribbean countries had regional support along with international support. This increased the probability of aid coming from regional sources. CDERA would later change its name to CDEMA, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.

Hurricane Hugo satellite image from September 21, 1989. It ranks number 8 on a list of costliest mainland-falling hurricanes.

In 1989, when the PCDPPP was beginning to fall apart, Hurricane Hugo struck the Caribbean. Relief still relied on foreign aid from countries such as the United States. By 1990 the insurance companies were criticizing the PCDPPP and how it was necessary to revise the way in which the Caribbean responded to natural disasters. The construction industry, in particular, was criticized for not enforcing enough standards to ensure that structures could withstand disasters in the Caribbean.[5] In 1991, the PCDPPP ceased to exist, and for about a month, the insurance agencies in the region were desperate for a replacement.[6] In terms of disaster relief and management, the Caribbean region was in limbo, awaiting a strong force to aid them in a time of crisis. There were little signs of funding for the formation of such an organization, and meeting the deadline of June 1, 1991, for the implementation of a new disaster relief organization was looking doubtful.[7] Funding for disaster relief in this region has always been a primary issue. In September 1991, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was finally able to take the initiative and set up CDERA.[8]

The growth of CDERA is said to have been very slow throughout the 1990s.[9] Things began to improve starting in the twenty-first century with CDERA. In 2003, studies showed that the Caribbean Metrological organization based in Trinidad and Tobago had developed earlier warning systems in the Caribbean that were saving lives. There was still controversy over whether the people had confidence in this system, and to improve emergency response, they needed to study how the public interacted with these systems.[10]

In 2005, CDERA was planning to better coordinate with the tourism industry by preparing a response strategy and a clear plan for natural or man-made disasters. CDERA was also formulating plans to better train their employees and improve the spread of information. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) claimed the current system CDERA was using needed to become more integrated to avoid a "Tower of Babel" effect occurring.[11] Also, later that year CDERA coordinator, Jeremy Collymore, started putting pressure on the individual countries of the Caribbean Union to increase their preparedness plan, giving them encouragement to become more self-sustainable in case of an emergency. While encouraging strengthening from within, aid from Japan was used to help develop the community's early warning systems and hazard management ability.[12] With the recent tsunamis in Thailand and Somalia, aid was sought from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to develop earlier tsunami warning systems in the Caribbean. Although CDERA was looking outward for nations with experience in tsunamis, significant research was done within the Caribbean, at places such as the University of Puerto Rico, and the University of the Virgin Islands.[13]

In 2006, financial aid from the European Commission granted 3.4 million to help prepare for disasters. CDERA was responsible for using this money where they saw fit. CDERA's projects are still continuing to be greatly funded from outside sources.[14] Even today approximately 90% of funding for CDERA's projects comes from international donors.[15] Along with funds being heavily dependent on foreign sources, staffing for CDERA has been a major hurdle. It has been said that some staff members of CDERA lack backgrounds in disaster management and those in charge are low in the bureaucracy's chain of command.[16]

In 2010, CDERA underwent a name change to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).[17] CDEMA is still constantly trying to increase its effectiveness in disaster management while keeping it sustainable within its own region. They have recently focused on improving results through better connections with policymakers and technical officials.[18] CDEMA has evolved significantly since its creation in 1991 and has taken a more independent role in disaster relief for the Caribbean. It provides a local response effort and a management system to handle the increase in natural disasters in recent decades. Although CDEMA still depends significantly on foreign aid for its financial support, it continues to grow into a strong local agency to manage and respond to disasters in the Caribbean region. Nevertheless, it may not always be effective in responding to natural disasters in Caribbean countries.

• Canadian Hurricane Centre
• European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility Segregated Portfolio Company (CCRIF)

• Official website