On Wednesday, 20th September, 2023, the CEO of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), Major General (Retired) Rodney Smart, alongside the Training and Education Specialist, Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Kirk Jean-Baptiste and the Community Outreach Programme Officer, Mr. Critchlow Lord, officially handed-over 50 ‘Grab and Go’ bags and other relief items to the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Emergency Response Team.
The relief items were received by representatives of the UWI’s Emergency Response Volunteers – Mr. Rajesh Kandhai, the UWI OHSE Manager, and Mr. Dave Samsundar, Coordinator of the UWI Team.
The UWI and the Ministry of National Security, through the ODPM, recently established an MOU to support each other. The handover is therefore one such initiative and the relief items will play a crucial role in equipping the members of the team with the necessary paraphernalia needed to effectively prepare for and respond to emergency situations in times of crises.
