Exercise Flood Gate

CDC tests National Response Mechanism

After eighteen months of intense workshops and meetings focusing on strengthening the National Preparedness and Response capabilities of Guyana, the Civil Defence Commission hosted its first major table top exercise in December 2010. The tools, plans and policies developed under the United Nations’ “Strengthening National and Local Capacities for Disaster Response and Risk Reduction” were put to the test to determine what more needs to be done. These instruments were brought together in a table top exercise titled Exercise Flood Gate 2010 which was spearheaded by CDC’s Director General, Colonel (Ret’d) Chabilall Ramsarup.

Col. Ramsarup, in his brief to the participants, outlined the objectives for the table top exercise. Critical among them was the testing of the level of interaction/collaboration among agencies that was addressed in a number of workshops prior to the staging of the exercise. Other objectives included the testing of the decision making process among agencies, the identification of resource gaps when responding to incidents, the identification of gaps within plans, and to test the effectiveness of the Early Warning System.

The Director General also indicated those outcomes he anticipated at the conclusion of the exercise. After the two-day exercise it was expected that there be greater interaction among agencies, the potential for plans to be enhanced through the identification of gaps, a clearer decision making process, a greater understanding of resource limitations, and initiation of a more comprehensive documentation process. The policies, plans and procedures used during Exercise Flood Gate 2010 included:

• Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis Plan
• Draft National Flood Preparedness and Response Plan
• Search and Response Operations Plan
• Logistics Management System

Representatives from more than twenty (20) ministries, agencies, private sector, international developmental agencies and the Guyana Red Cross Society came together to work through a flood incident that was the overarching scenario for the exercise. Among those who participated were the following:

• Ministry of Agriculture

National Drainage and Irrigation Authority

Hydromet

Crops and Livestock Department

• Bureau of Statistics
• Digicel
• Ministry of Education
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Government Information Agency (GINA)
• Guyana Defence Force
• Guyana Fire Service
• Guyana Police Force
• Guyana Power and Light
• Guyana Red Cross Society
• Guyana Rice Development Board
• Guyana Water Inc
• Ministry of Health

Environmental Health Unit

Veterinary Public Health Unit

• Ministry of Housing and Water
• Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development
• Mayor and City Council of Georgetown
• Maritime Administration
• Ministry of Public Works and Communication

Works Services Group

• Private Sector Commission
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

At the end of the exercise lessons learnt were documented and now forms part of the overall strategy towards further strengthening the DRM system in Guyana.

Director General of the CDC Col (Ret’d) Chabilal Ramsarup briefs agencies on the expectations of Exercise Flood Gate 2010.

A cross section of agencies’ representatives who participated in Exercise Flood Gate 2010.

Members of the Infrastructure sub-committee work on activities to abate flooding.

Exercise Control was provided by Project Coordinator for UNDP/IDB Denise Fraser, right and Disaster Risk Management Specialist Donna Pierre.

NEOC director Deputy Director General of the CDC Lt Col Francis Abraham gets an update from Operations Officer Captain Kester Craig and Logistics Officer Basil Dehnert.

Ministry of Health representative briefs members of the National Emergency Operations Centre.

Col Ramsarup listens to a briefing on activities in the National Emergency Operations Centre