The need for emergency preparedness has been made very clear in the few months which have elapsed between our oral presentation in Port of Spain in July and the end of October deadline for submission of this paper. The number of hurricanes in this se
ason has been larger than any in the last 50 years. In addition, Montserrat has been subject to volcanic eruptions. This has been a challenging time for the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency, centered in Barbados, as well as for the various lo
cal emergency preparedness and disaster relief agencies. International aid and cooperation have helped mitigate the problems. Although the loss of life has been relatively small, property damage ran into the billions of dollars. Almost instant reports
of the volcanic eruptions and reports on the hurricane relief measures were available on the Internet.
Ironically, we are in the middle of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. According to the enabling U.N. Resolution 44/232 of December 22, 1989 ... "Governments are called upon to establish national disaster mitigation projects as well
as economic, land use and insurance policies for disaster prevention and to integrate them fully into their national development program including measures to increase public awareness of damage risk probabilities and of the significance of preparedness,
prevention, relief and short-term recovery activities and to enhance community preparedness through education, training and other means."
Although it may be too early to evaluate possible shortcomings and actual efficacy of the recent relief measures, it was a relief to read on Internet the optimistic
reports of the executives of the Caribbean Tourist Board who visited the stricken islands briefly after the hurricanes struck. Another significant development is the 1995 opening of the International Center for Hurricane Damage Research and Mitigation at
Florida International University, in close cooperation with the U.S. National Hurricane Center (IOCARIBE Newsletter, 1995).
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