By Johann Earle
The United States Southern Command yesterday handed over a newly completed disaster response warehouse to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to serve Guyana and countries in the region suffering from natural and other disasters.
It will be part of the Caribbean Disaster Emer-gency Response Agency’s (CDERA) regional warehouses that support Caricom member countries. The goal of the US Southern Command is to build such warehouses throughout the Caribbean region and Central America and provide disaster relief supplies where needed most.
The handing over took place at Camp Stephenson, Timehri yesterday, nearly a year and a half since the turning of the sod ceremonially marking the commencement of the project.
The building was constructed at a cost of US$350,000 and the work was carried out by Guyadin Construction. The building has been stocked with donated items amounting to US$250,000. Among the items in the warehouse are blankets, bed sheets, folding litters, folding cots, sleeping bags, gurneys, folding chairs and a large amount of medical supplies including stethoscopes, sutures, syringes, intravenous injection sets, breathing circuits and utility kits.
Speaking to this newspaper after the handing over, Head of the CDC, Retired Colonel Chabilall Ramsarup said that the facility will have a staff of two persons only when not in operational mode. He said that in the event of the facility having to be pressed into service, more persons will be stationed.
The CDC was caught in a state of dormancy when the floods started in January 2005 and could not marshal the necessary response, leading to Government seconding personnel from the Disciplined Forces to form the Joint Operations Centre which coordinated the early response.
The CDC was later afforded greater capacity with the secondment of GDF then second in command Colonel Ramsarup to its helm.
The US will also provide training for the efficient management of the warehouse and supplies so that aid would be smoothly distributed. Training will be done in the maintaining of stocks and stock-ordering procedures. There will also be an element of computerisation in the management of stocks.
As part of the assistance, the United States Government also donated two military trucks, capable of carrying large amounts of water. According to Major James Enos of the US Military Liaison Office at the US Embassy, the warehouse will be important in ensuring that early aid from the US gets to the countries in need on a timely basis.
He said that even though the acquisition of the relief items is not that large of an expense, transporting the items is very costly. He said that with the warehouse, it would be possible to send by ship, relief supplies beforehand instead of sending them by air in a hurry when a disaster strikes.
Speaking at the handing over, Brigadier General Ken Keen of the United States Army South said that by using US foreign assistance to build the facility, it provides the Guyana leadership the right tools to better respond to the needs of the people during times of natural disasters. “This, I believe, is what United States foreign assistance is all about,” Keen said.
He said too that the US Southern Command is confident that the dynamic use of the warehouse will serve to positively facilitate increased assistance to the victims of natural disasters.
“For the United States Army South, this day marks an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to work together as partners in pursuit of our shared goals of a stable and secure Caribbean region,” he said.
He added that the US Southern Command oversees humanitarian assistance and disaster relief programmes to build capacity of host nations to respond to disasters and enhance their self-sufficiency.
Attending the handing over was Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, who thanked the US for the warehouse and spoke of its significance not only for Guyana but for the Caricom region as well.