A number of inter-government agencies in Anguilla participated in a “table top” and mock exercise in the event of a disaster, such as fire, involving the island’s ferryboats travelling between Blowing Point and the St. Martin/St. Maarten.

Participants in disaster workshop

Superintendent of Police, Alice Proctor, who welcomed the participants, said at the exercise, on Monday this week, that it was being held at a critical time when the world was plagued by many natural disasters and unforeseen occurrences. She stressed that it was imperative for everyone to become cognizant of these dangers and be well prepared to deal with them. “As such, this exercise is aimed at maximising our resources and testing our capabilities as a collective team in the event of a fire on board a ferryboat at sea,” she stated. “This would allow us to identify our strengths and weaknesses and make the necessary adjustment to better handle such a situation.”

Participants in disaster workshop

Acting Deputy Governor, Larry Franklin, was particularly grateful to the agencies which had been working assiduously over the past few months to prepare for the maritime exercise. “This exercise is in keeping with the Anguilla Government’s move towards a comprehensive disaster management strategy and the need to focus on more than just hurricane preparedness, but to prepare for other natural and man-made disasters and hazards,” he said at the opening ceremony.

He continued: “Although one agency is expected to take the lead. The Response and Recovery will take the lead, the response and recovery will involve much multiple agencies, all undertaking very critical and inter-dependent activities. These will need to be coordinated to ensure that there is an effective response as opposed to confusion. Therefore planning and undertaking an exercise such as this one are critical to ensure inter-agency coordination and communication and to ensure an effective and efficient response to any incident.”
The Acting Deputy Governor hoped that the lessons learnt and knowledge gained from the exercise would be put to good use during the mock ferry disaster later in the week and in the unfortunate case of an actual maritime accident.

L-R: Illidge Richardson, Mr. Battick, Supt. Proctor, Ms. Klute and Mr. Franklin

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Communications, Bancroft Battick, was of the view that there was a need for more training to develop the island’s capability to deal with fire on board vessels. He made the point that in focusing on disaster management and preparedness, it was important to realise that Anguilla was providing a ferry service for tourists and other persons to enjoy and therefore safety was paramount. “The importance of this 'table top' exercise, which will lead into the ferryboat exercise, cannot be over-emphasised and to make ourselves better prepared we should make the best of it so that, in the event there is any incident, we are well prepared to act despite the scarcity of resources,” he added.

Director of Disaster Management, Elizabeth Klute, said the "table top" exercise was aimed at checking the necessary plans and procedures and aligning them with the chain of command involving the Emergency Operations Centre, the field and the inter-agency coordination.

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