The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) is commemorating the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) with a series of activities aimed at raising awareness about disaster risk reduction while highlighting how the department and the people of the BVI have been reducing disaster risk.

The British Virgin Islands Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) has sent a four member team to provide hurricane restoration support in the Bahamas, as a result of the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew. 

Meteorologists have linked the presence of Saharan Air Layer (SAL) or Saharan Dust across the Atlantic Ocean, to the calm currently being experienced for the Atlantic Hurricane Season. 

Senior representatives from the public and private sectors met on Wednesday, July 20 to test and update the 2013 BVI Cruise Ship Incident Plan.

The National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) held its annual meeting on Tuesday, June 28 to review reports and programme targets concerning the Territory’s disaster management programme.

The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) is encouraging the public to take note of and familiarise themselves with the location of the land based emergency shelters, as well as the list of the marine shelters and the details associated with their use.  

Members of the Territory’s Search and Rescue Team (TSART) have been developing their swimming and water rescue skills through their participation in a ten week training session.

The communities of North Sound and West End will benefit from a British Virgin Islands Red Cross (BVIRC) disaster risk reduction project.

Twenty nine individuals from several Government departments are now equipped with emergency response skills.

Eight Jost Van Dyke residents have been recertified as Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members.