The Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) Hazard Mitigation Officer, attended Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum (CariCOF) in St. John’s Antigua Ms. Rikardia Pardo, Hazard Mitigation Officer, DDME attended the Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum (CariCOF), which was held in St. John’s, Antigua from 1st -2nd December, 2014. The CariCOF provides credible and authoritative real-time regional climate products (e.g. seasonal forecasts); thereby playing an essential role in the development and effectiveness of early warning systems. Early warning information systems across climate time scales become significant as inputs in preparedness, risk reduction and adaptation strategies. The disaster research and emergency management communities have shown that effective early warnings of impending hazards needs to be complemented by information on the risks actually posed by the hazards and pathways for action. The main focus of the forum was the upcoming 2015 Caribbean Dry Season. Its purpose was to discuss the 2015 forecast and their implications for the Dry Season with emphasis on the following: • Improvements of existing forecast product delivery, • Interpretation of existing forecast and other products, • Implications of the dry season for farmers and water companies, • Media engagement and enhancing communications, • Identifying other information which may be needed by the users, • Building on the International Research Applications Program (IRAP) activity in the Caribbean. Ms. Pardo said that although the target audience for the workshop was meteorologists, water resource sector and the agriculture sector, it proved very successful and beneficial as it raised awareness on the less mentioned “Dry Caribbean Season”. She further stated that often we (even as Disaster Managers) in this region, tend to gear all our efforts and resources towards mitigating the impacts of the Wet/Hurricane Season, seldom consider the impacts of the dry season; primarily the impacts of drought. Drought produces a complex web of impacts that spans many sectors of the economy and reaches well beyond the area experiencing physical drought. This complexity exists because water is integral to societys ability to produce goods and provide services. The Key points coming out of the forum are as follows: • Drought is a climatic variable that can lead to major impacts/disasters. Water conservation is therefore a must! • There is a need for forecast products to be tailored to key sectors, specifically water and agriculture. • There is a need for increased public awareness as it relates to Climate Change and associated hazards such as droughts. • International Research Applications Program (IRAP) Project. International Research Applications Program (IRAP) is a research organization with the goal to improve climate resilience by understanding how people use and interact with climate information. The Forum was held by the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology & Hydrology (CIMH) and its partners (Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Services, USAID/OFDA, WMO, NOAA, Columbia University and University of Arizona).
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 15:16:36 +0000
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