COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM TRAINING SESSIONS EDUCATE ENTREPRENEURS ON BUILDING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
The Organization of American States (OAS) launched a US$500,000 project for small tourism enterprises to build the resilience in the Caribbean to disasters in 2019. This ongoing project involves several initiatives that are implemented across member states and observers. One program includes the Basic Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training which was held in collaboration with the U.S Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
According to Ms Lily Ching- Soto, OAS Representative in Saint Lucia, this training was an amazing opportunity for young entrepreneurs in Saint Lucia and across the Caribbean to be part of a global initiative geared towards building resistance to climate change and its adverse effects.
Together several young entrepreneurs across the region got access to the 5 day virtual which commenced from February 1, 2021. The training included speakers and instructors from FEMA and Fairfax and Arlington Counties in Virginia. Several topics such as disaster psychology, hazards management, medical drill activities were also discussed.
Concluding the training, every participant received a FEMA Emergency Management Certificate and backpack. The closing ceremony took place on February 16, 2021.
