New information management system for Dominica’s disaster shelters

Multi-purpose Emergency Shelter at Layou

A new information management system for the island’s disaster shelters was launched this month.

The Shelter Management Information System which was created to advance Dominica’s disaster preparedness was developed in 2021 by the National Emergency Planning Organization (NEPO) and the ICT unit.

NEPO’s emergency subcommittee chairman, Glenroy Toussaint said officers have been gathering pre-impact data for the new system.

“It’s an exclusive system that will capture all of the information as it relates to shelter management in Dominica. The officers of local government have been trained. We were able through the IOM to source some tablets to facilitate data collection and as we speak the processor started, in terms of gathering the data,” Toussaint said in an interview on state-owned DBS Radio this morning.

He said the data will include the condition of, and the state of amenities at the shelters, the number of people at the shelters, their health condition, and supplies.

The NEPO subcommittee chairman said is pleased to usher in this system with the intention of completing the exercise in terms of pre-impact information on the shelters, upload it and have it available.

“We are hoping to complete the exercise by April, well in advance of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season so we can have that data which will allow for better informed decision making as it relates to shelter management in Dominica.”

In 2021, according to the list published by the local government department, there were over 100 emergency shelters around the island.

The previous year, Toussaint who is also the Local Government Commissioner, had said that the need for shelters in Dominica was slowly continuing to decrease. He said one of the reasons for the decrease is that more people are building up-to-standard dwelling homes to withstand storms and hurricanes.

That notwithstanding, a $2.34 million emergency resource for Layou was constructed and commissioned last year and two more – one at Jimmit and the other at Castle Bruce – are expected to be completed this year.

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