Over 50 members of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association (AHTA) gathered at Cuisinart Resort and Spa on Thursday 19th June for a meeting entitled “Disaster Preparedness for the Tourism Sector”. The meeting was sponsored by Caribbean Insurance Brokers (Anguilla) Ltd and supported by the Department of Disaster Management (DDM).

Mr Delroy Lake, Vice President of the Association, set the tone for a the lively meeting in his welcome speech “As a hotelier who has lived through previous hurricanes such as Lenny and Luis I can not stress how important it is that tourism accommodation properties are prepared and have a comprehensive plan in place.”. The first presenter was Ms Susan Hodge, Programme Officer from the DDM who gave an informative presentation on the work of the DDM which co-ordinates all the activities pertaining to disaster management. She stressed that although in Anguilla we mainly concern ourselves with the very real threat of a hurricane – the DDM and the Tourism Sector Working Group (TSWG) are not only addressing hurricanes but also the possibilities of other disasters – such as a terrorist attack or health incidents in the work in progress Plan. Her presentation gave an insight into the many different activities the DDM has been involved in since it’s creation in 2005 and official opening June 2, 2006 and explained how the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) would be activated to co-ordinate Disaster Response should the need arise.

Trudy Nixon, the Executive Director of the AHTA introduced the Draft Tourism Sector Plan which had been written by the Working Group which consists of the DDM, the AHTA and the Anguilla Tourist Board. She asked for input to the plan from the guests who would have their own experience to add. She stressed the importance of each business having their own plan and nominating a person responsible for hurricanes/disaster – what ever their size. She also highlighted how recent changes in the tourism sector –the emergence of large ‘mixed use developments’ which would mix owners with tourists and a growing number of villas (many of which are located in isolated spots and are not members of the AHTA or known to the Anguilla Tourist Board) could prove significant challenges for evacuation and response and whose safety and security would be the joint responsibility of the TSWG and accommodation properties. Ms Nixon went on to say “members of the AHTA receive the weather bulletins from the DDM via our email mailing list – these bulletins give timely and accurate news on approaching storms and other potential threats. Please urge anyone you know who runs a tourism accommodation property to join the AHTA so that we can include them in our planning and response should disaster strike – we need to know how many and where people are staying ”

Finally, Mr Donald Curtis of Caribbean Insurance Brokers (Anguilla Ltd) gave out tips and advice on hurricane insurance policies and how to ensure effective claims handling. He also gave a brief presentation on the services his company offered including Medical Air Ambulance. Mr Curtis said of his decision to sponsor the event, “By supporting the AHATA in events such as this we can effectively reach a large number of potential clients while at the same time providing members with information that can be very useful in a very critical area. We greatly appreciate the opportunity afforded by the AHTA.”

For more information on Disaster Planning in the Tourism Sector, please contact any member of the Tourism Sector Working Group: Susan Hodge, DDM 497 2929, Trudy Nixon/Gilda Gumbs Samuels, AHTA 497 2944 or Gina Brooks/Amelia Vanterpool Kubisch, ATB 497 2759.

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