Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is a group that helps countries in the Caribbean work together during emergencies. It started on September 1, 2005, with a different name, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA). In September 2009, it changed its name to CDEMA.

The agency brings together emergency teams from many places. They help each other when natural disasters happen, like hurricanes or earthquakes. This makes it easier for countries to share resources, information, and help when they face big challenges together.

Members

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has many member states and agencies. They work together to help during emergencies.

Country	Organisation
Anguilla	Department of Disaster Management (DDM)
Antigua and Barbuda	National Office of Disaster Services (NODS)
Bahamas	National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
Barbados	Department of Emergency Management (DEM)
Belize	National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO)
British Virgin Islands	Department of Disaster Management (DDM)
Dominica	Office of Disaster Management (ODM)
Grenada	National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA)
Guyana	Civil Defense Commission (CDC)
Haiti	Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC)
Jamaica	Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM)
Montserrat	Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA)
Saint Kitts and Nevis	National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
Saint Lucia	National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO)
Suriname	National Coordination Center For Disaster Relief (NCCR)
Trinidad and Tobago	Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM)
Turks and Caicos Islands	Department of Disaster Management & Emergencies (DDME)

Activities

The CDEMA helps countries in the Caribbean work together during disasters. For example, CDEMA workers helped in Grenada and Jamaica after Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

In the mid-1990s, CDEMA also gave support when the Soufriere Hills volcano in Montserrat erupted. The group keeps an eye on this volcano and another underwater volcano called Kick 'em Jenny near Grenada. Sometimes, members of the Regional Security System ask CDEMA for help after natural disasters.

Background

The Pan-Caribbean Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Project (PCDPPP) began in July 1984 to help reduce damage from severe weather in the Caribbean region and the Gulf of Mexico. Before this, help after disasters mostly came from private donors.

The PCDPPP worked with sponsors like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Canadian International Development Agency, the Government of the Netherlands, and the United Nations. After Hurricane Hugo caused big problems in 1989, people wanted better ways to prepare for and handle natural disasters. In 1991, 16 Caribbean nations formed the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Response Agency (CDERA). Later, CDERA changed its name to CDEMA, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.

History

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit the Caribbean. At that time, the islands needed help from other countries, like the United States, to recover. This showed that the Caribbean needed its own way to handle natural disasters.

In 1991, a new group was created to help with this, called CDERA. Over the next few years, CDERA grew and improved its plans. In 2005, it worked to better help the tourism industry and improve training. In 2010, CDERA changed its name to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). The group focused on working more closely with leaders to do its work better.