DC National Guard and JDF Conduct Disaster Mitigation Exercise

A member of the DC National Guard examines Jamaica’s National Disaster Action Plan with a Jamaica Defence Force soldier and another participant of the exercise.
Photo contributed by the DC National Guard.

Gleaner Story Published: Friday 20 May 2019

Kingston recently played host the District of Columbia National Guard (DCNG) for a military-to-military exchange focused on strengthening Jamaica’s National Disaster Action Plan.

According to a release from the US Embassy in Jamaica, the DCNG conducted a table-top exercise, in partnership with the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), to examine the potential destruction a major earthquake could cause across the island.

“We have had substantial opportunity to have rehearsals and practice in response to disasters in the form of tropical storms and hurricanes,” said JDF Lieutenant Colonel M. Matthews during the joint earthquake Table Top Exercise outbrief on May 17.

“Earthquakes, we believe, were a constantly looming threat, and one that we do tend to put in the back of our minds, having not experienced a recent significant earthquake,” he said.

REAL-TIME PLANS

During the exercise, DCNG, JDF and ODPEM staff worked alongside each other to develop a plan to contend with all real-time issues in the event of an earthquake. The plan carefully details the steps and resources that would need to be mobilised to mitigate the effects of an earthquake on the population and infrastructure.

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