|
|
|
April 25, 2007
Governor meets with Emergency Management Council (EMC) members Gov. John P. deJongh, Jr. Tuesday convened a meeting of the government’s Emergency Management Council which is comprised of the Department and Agency Heads. The meeting was the first in an ambitious series of meetings that will take place through the end of the year to ensure the territory’s maximum state of preparedness. It was also geared at ensuring that lines of authority are clear in the event of a catastrophic emergency. The two-hour meeting was the opportunity for members of the cabinet to familiarize themselves with the process to expeditiously access federal assistance and ultimately to ensure the protection of lives, property and the critical infrastructure of the territory in the aftermath of a man-made or natural disaster. “We have learned all too well that emergency preparedness is vital to our very survival here in the Virgin Islands. I believe the participants left the meeting with some knowledge but many questions still forthcoming as they dig further into the realm of Emergency Management,” deJongh said. In addition, the meeting gave clear delineation between the cabinet members’ roles and responsibilities as members of the Emergency Management Council and the Homeland Security Executive Council and those employees of the Government who serve as Emergency Service Coordinators during natural disasters or incidents requiring response by the V.I. Government. Members of the cabinet were given by-laws which govern their actions in the Emergency Management Council and a listing of the Emergency Support Functions. Participants of Tuesday’s meeting were also given definitions of the some of the terms that are used in Emergency Management. deJongh, in his remarks, directed his cabinet members to support the efforts of the emergency response agencies in a bid to make certain that the state of readiness in the Virgin Islands is always at an all time high. “The Commissioners are to lead their agencies in responding to disasters, in accordance with the well-exercised territorial response plans that are in place.” Presenters included: Acting State Director of VITEMA Steve Parris, V.I. Adjutant General Designee Renaldo Rivera and Director of Homeland Security Mel Vanterpool. The Emergency Management Council meets once a month during the traditional hurricane season, June 1-November 30. |
