With the 2021 Wet Season drawing close to its end, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) along with its key stakeholders have already begun preparing for the upcoming Dry Season and its possible challenges.
In light of this, the ODPM hosted, on Wednesday, its initial virtual Dry Season Preparation meeting to begin strategising for the 2022 Dry Season.
While the 2021 Dry Season was wetter than usual and therefore the country experienced much less bush fires, Meteorologist, Kaidar Kissoon of the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS), highlighted that Trinidad and Tobago can expect a drier than usual season due to below average rainfall.
During the meeting, the agencies also deliberated on various approaches that would help address reckless acts of bush fires and alleviate the associated impacts that occur throughout the country.
The Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry Division spoke about their joint efforts for mitigating and responding to fires that impact homes, businesses, and hilly forested areas. To support their initiative, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) assured them of the availability of truck-borne water to assist the Fire Service and the Forest Rangers’ efforts.
Chief Executive Officer of the ODPM, Major General (Ret’d) Rodney Smart, thanked the representatives for attending the meeting and for the agencies’ continued commitment to ensuring that whatever challenges the nation faces, they are ready to provide the citizenry with the service they expect.
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