The launching of a Caribbean Centre for Disaster Medicine (CCDM) by American University of the Caribbean (AUC) at Cupecoy during its first International Conference on Disaster Management and Hurricane Resilience (see Saturday paper) is significant for several reasons. To start, this acknowledges St. Maarten’s proven ability to recover from major catastrophes like Hurricane Irma relatively quickly.
The move also further cements the medical school’s long-term commitment to the country and its people by creating a separate entity that assists health care professionals and emergency responders in the region to better prepare for such calamities. Involvement of the Harvard Medical Faculty adds to the credibility of this initiative as well.
While it’s probably not good to constantly be looking back at so much damage tropical systems have inflicted on the island in the past decades, experiences gained are no doubt valuable. Many lessons were learned and applied over the years that greatly contributed to the “SXM Strong” concept.
Sharing this first-hand knowledge with others is a noble idea, so they may benefit from what went right as well as wrong when it comes to disaster management and resilience. As organisers stated, the conference was primarily intended to support St. Maarten’s momentum in taking a direct hit from the most powerful Atlantic storm ever recorded, yet coming back better, stronger and more resilient; using this dedicated effort to impact not only the island but the rest of Caribbean and beyond.
The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) in any case sees the CCDM as filling an important gap to address competencies of the region’s physicians. The suggestion to explore a role for other Caribbean academic institutions such as University of the West Indies (UWI) in the current partnership is well-taken in that regard.
All in all, it seems a worthwhile initiative that in the sense of helping to build capacity for dealing with apparently increasingly dangerous weather disturbances puts “The Friendly Island” squarely on the resilience map.
