CERO- The New Disaster Management System

The new National Disaster / Emergency Management System, will ensure that disaster management policies and strategies become an essential part of the national development and planning process.

It will provide for suitable infrastructure and governmental authority to embrace the key elements of mitigation and prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction, along with specified roles of all governmental agencies as required under the system.

Central Emergency Relief Organization, BNB Building, Cr James & Coleridge Street, Bridgetown, Barbados
Copyright © 2004 CERO. All rights reserved.

The National Emergency Management Council (NEMC)

The council will be chaired at Ministerial level and comprise of
representatives of all national entities with emergency management. These
include government ministries, departments and agencies, the private sector and
non-governmental organization

Barbados Emergency Management Agency (BEMA)

The CERO secretariat will be replaced by the Barbados Emergency
Management Agency (BEMA). This will be the administrative and operational
headquarters for disaster management. BEMA would be a fully established
Government Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

proposed new site for BEMA.

Standing Committees (SC's)

These are specialized sub-committees of the National Emergency Management
Council. Detailed Sectoral Planning for emergency management is done through
the Standing Committee of BEMA.

The National Emergency Operations Center Mechanism (NEOC)

This would be a dedicated facility embedded within the
administrative headquarters of the Agency. NEOC mechanism would
provide centralized coordination and control of resources and responses
needed before, during and after any impact.

The Parish Emergency Response Teams (Perts)

These teams will be made up of governmental and non-governmental organizations. The purpose of the Perts is to establish at the parish level, an emergency response mechanism with the authority to harness the manpower and material resources and provide centralized coordination in support of emergency response.

The District Emergency Organisation (DEO)

The DEO mechanism endeavors to mobilize, control and effectively utilize all
local resources. This will ensure that a community develops the capability to
prevent, mitigate, respond and recover from the impact of any hazards to which it
is vulnerable. The DEO mechanism will be supported at all phases of the Disaster Management Cycle by those Government and non-government agencies involved in hazard and vulnerability analysis.