Dominica has been chosen to host a five-day course in safer buildings for architects and other people involved in the construction industry from across the region.
Twenty-five individuals are taking part in the course which is being held at the Bath Estate Campus of the Dominica State College (DSC).
It is being conducted by the DSC, in collaboration with the Office of Disaster Management and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CIDEMA).
Representative of the Office of Disaster Management, Steve Joseph, said at the opening ceremony on Monday that he welcomes the opportunity to partner with the other agencies and is happy that the course is being delivered in Dominica.
“We are pleased that this course is being delivered in Dominica, and it’s because CIDEMA recognize that we are doing something well in Dominica,” he said. “This course could have been anywhere else in the region and I suspect that other parts of the region have been sought but because of the tracK record that we are developing in Dominica, Dominica has been selected to provide the service to the region.”
According to him, the course intends to focus on some critical areas.
“Comprehensive disaster management encourages us to focus on all peoples, on all hazards, at all phases of the Disaster management cycle ….which means preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery. The challenge is that continually, we spend too much money on recovery,” he said.
President of the Dominica State College, Dr. Donald Peters, said the course is important and will seek to address key areas of good construction practices.
“As a college and as a country we need to adjust construction methodology in order to build safer houses for the event of disasters,” he noted. “So it is important and timely that the college at this point with our partners delivers this course.”
Peters pointed to some of the areas that will be dealt with in the course. “The course will deal with regional codes that are necessary,” he stated. “I’m sure they involve reinforcements from foundations etc. It will also teach people to manage and build projects effectively to result in houses which have low vulnerability to natural disasters.”
He also noted that it will help participants “evaluate sites for the commencement of residential buildings, determine whether foundations are constructed in accordance with safety standards, appreciate the importance of post construction maintenance and manage and supervise maintenance inspections of residential buildings.”
The participants include: 13 Dominicans, 6 Barbadians and 6 Vincentians.
The course runs from April 15 to the 19 and will be facilitated by architects, Severin McKenzie and Aki Boland.
Well done Dominica, looking forward to more from CDEMA
ODM seem to be on a roll that’s the second course of its kind and Steve is right CDEMA was impressed with the first course I was a participant and it was good that’s why they choose Dominica to host a second time and this time to include regional participants. so keep up the good work guys.
Hi Steve