The CARICOM Private Sector Organization (CPSO) held its first Coordination Meeting on Monday, July 1st, 2024, for the mobilising of the regional private resources to provide assistance to Member States, which may be impacted by the passage of Hurricane Beryl.
The CPSO Coordination Meeting was held within the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) framework in which the organization participates on behalf of the regional private sector. The meeting, chaired by CPSO Executive Committee Member, Dr Thackwray Driver, and supported by Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director, Dr Patrick Antoine, sought to ensure coordination and alignment of the private sector response and that participating entities were on standby and in a state of readiness to provide the required aid. This first Meeting, convened against the backdrop of Hurricane Beryl’s destructive path through Grenada, Carriacou, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was attended by private sector firms and Business Support Organizations from Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname and Guyana.
“Ultimately, the assistance and support that we aim at providing must be informed by a Needs List,” Dr Driver stated. “Sometimes, unfortunately, well-meaning private sector and other persons may wish to share a variety of items, but we want to ensure that the support we extend matches the needs of the persons and private sectors in the affected countries as much as possible.”
Thus far, pledges have been confirmed from regional water agencies to ensure that an emergency supply is ready and on hand, if required. Additionally, several manufacturers and conglomerates have been approached for the provision of required relief items. Warehouse space has been identified for the staging of relief items, regional marine vessel providers are being engaged to provide the required marine, and outreach is being made for ground transport services.
“To ensure that the support we provide matches the needs of the affected countries, we are in contact with CDEMA, and the disaster coordinating agencies in the respective countries and are awaiting information from them,” Dr Antoine said. “At this point, we are pooling all of the resources at our disposal and confirming the logistics so that we will be ready to mobilize, move ahead and lend the required support at short notice.”
The CPSO says its joins the Community in demonstrating its support for Member States and CARICOM people who have been badly affected by the wrath of Hurricane Beryl at this time. Further, it will continue to work assiduously in contributing to the critical needs of those affected and to support the rapid recovery of the private sector and the Communities in affected Member States.