Ahead of the Atlantic Hurricane Season’s most intense window, over 47 disaster management specialists from across the Caribbean and surrounding regions have collaborated to establish the Caribbean’s inaugural Shelter Technical Working Group.
Guided by the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), this new initiative aims to enhance emergency shelter operations, promote equitable aid distribution, and foster safer, more inclusive disaster response efforts for affected populations.
In a media release, IOM quoted Tamara Lovell, a Community Resilience Specialist with CDEMA, as emphasizing, “The purpose of this group is really to frame this as a start of what we consider to be a shelter management community for the Caribbean. Out of that, we’re also hoping to have a core group that we can establish to really advance shelter management considerations going forward.”
Since its inception, weekly meetings have cultivated a robust, cooperative network prepared to address urgent shelter needs, report the organizers. Both IOM and CDEMA have pledged to prioritize the involvement of local organizations and communities in all shelter planning and response activities, acknowledging their vital role in creating safer, more inclusive shelters for vulnerable groups and ensuring that no one is overlooked. Participants include national disaster agencies, civil society groups, and non-governmental organizations from across the Caribbean.
A WhatsApp platform for real-time updates and peer support has also been launched, along with a dedicated website to share resources, technical guidance, and news. Future sessions will focus on essential topics such as the quality of relief supplies, gender-based violence prevention, cash assistance programs, and sustainable shelter solutions. The group stated that it will coordinate technical aid, facilitate training sessions, and mobilize relief supplies for swift deployment in the event of a disaster.
According to the release, organizations such as IOM, ShelterBox, GSD, UNICEF, and the Red Cross have already accumulated emergency supplies—including plastic sheeting, toolkits, solar lamps, tents, generators, and hygiene products—at CDEMA’s Logistics Hub in Barbados.
Jan-Willem Wegdam, IOM’s Emergency Coordinator for the Caribbean, in concluding the meeting, appealed to participants of the Working Group: “Let’s shape this agenda together. Let’s make this a welcoming community where your ideas and energy drive impact—and where we enjoy working together toward a safer Caribbean.”
This initiative, as outlined in the press release, is supported by IOM through the RESILIENT CARIBBEAN Project, funded by the European Union, which was officially launched virtually by IOM on September 16.
For more information, contact [email protected], visit sheltercluster.org/caribbean or join the WhatsApp group at https://bit.ly/4ggG
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