Responsibilities and Functions of the Nationa Disaster Management Committee

The national committees as have been presented in Chapter 3 have been developed by the Grenada National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) to facilitate a better distribution of services and as a method of streamlining and co-coordinating all services within the country.

The national disaster management committee’s primary responsibility will be that of ensuring that the required preparedness and preventative measures have been instituted, in order to minimise loss of life and reduce property damage where possible.

The committees are all designed to function and carry their duties and responsibilities before the event so that an adequate level of preparedness can be achieved that ensures an adequate and effective response. Their role is one of pre-disaster planning, establishing management systems for implementation of an adequate response and responding if an emergency or a disaster occurs.

The committees have not been presented in any specific order, as they are all of equal importance and do not take precedence over each other. Their duties are defined against the
background of the sectoral and specific needs of the country.

4.1.- Public Information & Education

Design an emergency public information and education plan.
Development and organisation of ongoing public awareness and education programmes on all types of disasters as well as preventative measures to be taken.
The dissemination of information before, during and after any type of emergency or
disaster situations.
Alerting the population on any impending disaster and the precautionary measures to be taken.

4.2.-Damage and Needs Assessment

Design a specific damage and needs assessment plan.
Ensure the committee and its members are prepared to assess damage and needs at
the national and local levels if a disaster occurs.
Assign specific responsibilities to committee members to assess damage and needs to different sectors: housing, health services, agriculture, utilities, etc.
If a hazard strikes, co-ordinating assessments in disaster areas to determine number
of deaths, casualties, damages to property and relief requirements (food, shelter, medical attention).
Conducting assessment of damages to public utilities (water-supplies, sewage and
drainage facilities, telephone electricity, cable) and assisting where possible with the
other utilities.
Co-ordinating assessment of damages to agriculture and livestock.
Co-ordination surveys of roads, bridges, ports and other infrastructure to determine
extent of damage.
Supplying information to the Emergency Operations Centre and to the Disaster Relief Management and the Public Utilities and Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Committees, as necessary, and providing initial financial evaluations and estimates to the relevant ministries and departments as required.
Conduct assessments of damages to private sector including tourism, distribution,
retailers, etc.
Co-ordinate, within the EOC, with regional and international organisations conducting damage and needs assessment in the case of a disaster.
Up-date assessments periodically until the disaster is finished.

4.3.- Transport & Road Clearance

• Develop MOUs with private construction companies.
• Developing a resource list of all transport (including boats and other marine craft)
chain saw and heavy equipment that would be available for use in a disaster.
• Arranging for the release of privately owned vehicles, equipment and boats and
other marine craft and where necessary and if available aircraft.
• Developing an emergency plan to cope with transportation requirements at national
and sectoral level to include traffic control.
• Arranging for relief drivers to assist in road clearance and transportation
• Arranging for the release of all vehicles from any department to be use as
emergency ambulances and other emergency purposes.
• Arranging for clearing of main roads and movement of emergency personnel and
relief supplies as soon as possible after a disaster.
• To co-ordinate standardised road passes, identification cards and vehicle passes.
• Collaborate with evacuation and the distribution of relief goods always in coordination
with the EOC.
4.4.- Shelter Management.
• Selection of suitably safe buildings for use as emergency shelters including private
buildings.
• To determine that shelters are structurally sound and located in safe areas.
• General education programme on management of informal shelters
• Identification of emergency shelters through the relevant Government departments.
• Arranging for the proper maintenance of emergency shelters through the relevant
Government departments.
• Staffing and administration of emergency shelters.
• Maintaining a list of all approved emergency shelters with locations, ownership,
capacity facilities as well as contact persons, addresses and telephone numbers,
where possible.
• Training of shelter management personnel on an annual basis to maintain the
standards of management.

4.5.- Health Services

Co-ordination of medical and first-aid assistance with the relevant public/private health related voluntary organisations.
Requisitioning of medical supplies through the relevant departments as necessary.
Proper identification of health service workers and first aid personnel and First-Aid stations for information of field personnel and the public.
Co-ordinating arrangements with Transport sub-committee for the use of additional vehicles to augment existing ambulance service where necessary.
To co-ordinate with Search and Rescue – L & S subcommittees
Training of health service workers and emergency First-Aid personnel and operation at all emergency shelters and other First-Aid Stations established in the Districts.
Provision of environmental health services at emergency shelters and the development of plans for quick deployment of health personnel to all predetermined points.
Preparing a list of all health facilities including pharmacies, in the State, which can be used in the event of a disaster.
Ensure counselling is provided to population affected in the case of a disaster.

4.6.- Emergency Telecommunications

Identify emergency telecommunications needs.
Make inventories of available telecommunications equipment
Design a national emergency telecommunications plan.
The establishment of a training programme for all radio operations, to be conducted annually.
The establishment of contact with the regional emergency communication system.
Co-ordination of the availability of telecommunications by the NTRC.
Conducting simulation exercises on a regular basis to test the effectiveness of the
telecommunication system.

4.7.- Disaster Relief Management.

Design a specific disaster relief management plan and mechanisms.
Arranging for suitable buildings for the storage of food, clothing, building material and other emergency supplies.
Arranging for other safe areas for storage of non-perishable emergency supplies.
Establishing distribution centres for bulk distribution of emergency supplies.
Arranging for staff to package and distribute emergency supplies.
Arranging for the transportation of emergency supplies to storage at all predetermined points.
Arranging for security of areas where emergency supplies are stored.
Determining the quantity and type of assistance required with information of the damage and needs assessment committee.
Maintaining proper records of emergency supplies received and distributed.
To co-ordinate NGOs supplies from arrival to distribution.

4.8.- Search and Rescue (Land and Sea)

To train, orient and drill individuals in emergency procedures, and the development of a rapid deployment procedure.
Rescuing trapped or dislocated persons and animals in post-disaster operations and the preparation and issuing of reports to the Executive Committee within 48 hours.

4.9.- Public Utilities, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction

Design specific plans for the rehabilitation of public utilities after a disaster.
Maintenance of alternative backup services for use in disaster situations.
To identify damage to public utilities including information from the damage and needs assessment.
Restoring services as soon as possible after disaster.
To co-ordinate supply of labour – local and external.
Repair and reconstruction of buildings and infrastructure to permit population to revert to normal activity in the shortest possible time.
Determining suitability for resettlement in formerly hazardous areas.
Determining the need for land use/ownership policy.
To procure and subsequently availability of building supplies.
Transfer of population from high-risk areas.
Identification of hazardous industries before the disaster.
To adhere to building codes and maintain prices.
Liaise with the NaDMA
Plan/co-ordinate /liaise with external assistance for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

4.10.- Welfare and Voluntary Services

Arranging for the movement and care of the aged, disabled and incapacitated to safe
areas if evacuation is needed.
Providing special emergency needs (medicines, food, etc.) to the aged, disabled and incapacitated.
Arranging for the delivery of emergency supplies to institutions.
Assisting in the management of emergency shelters.
Providing messenger and stretcher-bearer services.
Assist in providing psychological support and counselling
To co-ordinate with NGOs and develop resource lists.

4.11.- Security Services

To design a specific disaster security plan.
To immediately deploy resources to key places for security and safety before, during or after a hazard.
To be responsible for the identification of personnel
To plan and organise simulation exercise
To advise the National Disaster Management Council on all emergency security matters
To manage crowd control and barriers
To manage traffic control
To manage for supply of special equipment

4.12.- Evacuation

To design specific evacuation plans for specific vulnerable areas involving information about shelters and considering emergency transportation available.

4.13.- Marine Pollution & Oil Spills

To design/redesign a national oil spill plan according to regional and international guidelines and international conventions.
To plan for and co-ordinate all action to deal with any oil spill which may affect the State.
Training of persons to deal with oil spill contingencies and other forms of marine pollution.
Prevention of oil spills (mitigation).
To alleviate the effects on wildlife as soon as possible.

4.14.- Earthquake Volcanic Eruptions, Floods and Landslide.

To maintain contact with academic and research institutions that study these specific natural hazards.
To ensure hazard, vulnerability and risk assessments are conducted to determine the
possible magnitude, cope of impact and probability of occurrence of these hazards.
To promote the design of specific disaster scenarios for specific hazards and specific vulnerable areas.
To ensure dissemination of information to persons in the danger areas.

4.15.- Hazardous material and Hazardous Wastes and Fires.

To identify hazardous materials used in the country.
To identify the method of storage, handling, transfer, movement, transportation and disposal of such materials.
Training of personnel to identify, handle and dispose of hazardous material and toxic waste.
To design specific regulations for the management of hazardous materials.
To design specific hazardous materials emergency plan for the response to specific types of accidents involving hazardous materials.