Evacuation procedures have been developed and circulated to residents of Bath Estate to guide them on how they should respond in the event of flash floods.
The update was given during a National Disaster Management Office organized simulation exercise on Lower Bath Estate on Saturday (April 21).
According to the Government Information Service, the evacuation drill exercise conducted at Paradise Valley, Bath Estate sought to engage residents on how they should respond to flash floods.
The exercise was conducted in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Caribbean Disaster Management Project (CADM), Phase two project and other supporting agencies.
Consultant Lolita Garcia said it was designed “to build the capacity of the office of disaster management in Dominica to increase the resilience of the communities and the national team in dealing with flood hazards”.
“Based on the input from the hazard map and the early warning system, we have developed along with the participation of the residents of Bath Estate the evacuation procedures that they can follow to ensure that there is safe evacuation, thereby reducing fatalities and injuries during the time of evacuation,” she explained.
According to the consultant, there are key guidelines which residents must take into consideration in the event of a flash flood.
“What we are endorsing here is early evacuation. We don’t wait until the flood invades our houses but that we are given enough time through the early warning system to evacuate- maybe about twenty-thirty minutes up to one hour before the flood actually occurs”.
Garcia wants to see a sustainability plan put in place following Saturday’s exercise.
According to residents of the area, the Roseau River could pose a threat to some parts of lower Bath Estate during heavy rains and flooding.
I hope you did it good
good work
hope service was fast enough, and the evacuates are comfortable.
Hope you learn the difference between EVACUATE and EVACUEES