The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) recently completed its Eastern Sub-Region Workshop on Strengthening the Eastern Sub-Regional Disaster Emergency Response Operational Unit (SRDEROU) at the Royalton Antigua Resort.
The two-day workshop, held from 24–25 August 2026, brought together Permanent Secretaries with responsibility for disaster management as well as national disaster coordinators from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Sint Maarten, alongside representatives of the CDEMA Coordinating Unit and other technical specialists.
In his opening remarks, Director of the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) Sherrod James highlighted the importance of strengthened collaboration among the countries of the Eastern Sub-Region as they confront an increasingly complex disaster risk landscape.
In her address, Minister of State in the Ministry of Social and Urban Transformation the Hon. Kiz Johnson also emphasized the region’s vulnerability to disasters and the need for governments to provide disaster management agencies with the necessary financial, human and technical resources.
Minister Johnson stated that recent regional training “provided vital information to participants on how their roles can be further strengthened to better coordinate how they plan, prepare and respond when the need arises.”
During the workshop working sessions, participants examined strategic priorities and developed practical measures in key areas.
These include information management and disaster assessment, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and emerging technologies such as satellite imagery, drones and artificial intelligence, emergency telecommunications interoperability, logistics and warehousing, resource management, response units, emergency operations centre capacity and the Sub-Regional Coordination Centre.
A major focus of the workshop was the development and finalization of the Eastern SRDEROU Plan of Action and Logical Framework for 2026–2031.
Additional sessions focused on sustainable financing, programme management, the Logical Framework, monitoring and reporting, assignment of responsibilities and agreement on next steps.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: CDEMA Eastern Sub-Regional Workshop to Strengthen Regional Disaster Response held in Antigua and Barbuda.