If there is one lesson NEMO learnt from the tragic aftermath of Tropical
Storm Arthur, it is that when disaster strikes you need to be prepared. And
as we’ve come to learn, NEMO wasn’t prepared to evacuate residents
of the flood ravaged villages of Gales Point and Mullins River. And that is
where a 23 foot skiff will come in. It was donated by the United Nation’s
Development Program, UNDP, and officially handed over this afternoon from the
UN’s Assistant Resident Representative Joseph Hendricks to NEMO boss,
Lt. Col. George Lovell.
Lt. Col. George Lovell, NEMO Coordinator
“It will be used for any future disaster that we may have where there
is need for some support. We will have it under the care of the Belize National
Coast Guard simply because we believe they are the most fit to service, maintain,
and operate this vessel. We will however give the Belize National Coast Guard
the leverage to engage those people from the community whoa are capable operators
to use this boat under their supervision.”
Joseph Hendricks, UN Assistant Resident Representative
“We know from experience that hurricanes normally go along with flooding
and you don’t need a hurricane to get flooding. It means that road access
isn’t always an opportunity so there is a need to invest more in boats
like this type that can go in shallow waters. So we see this as a first step
towards increasing that capacity of NEMO to be able to respond not only by air
or by road but by water ways.”
Lt. Col. George Lovell,
“This boat brings capacity to the National Emergency Management Organization.
As you may witness from the last flooding event, there was a great need for
small vessels like this to evacuate people from those areas that were hit by
floods. This boat I can say will be used for not only just the southern parts
for which we are currently putting our efforts and used in areas like the Albion
Islands where as we speak, we currently have the villages of San Roman, San
Antonio, Santa Cruz, and Douglas that are being affected by floods. So we can
see this vessel being used not just in southern parts but throughout the country
to assist with movement of supplies and personnel in those affected areas.”
The skiff comes with a 75 horsepower engine. It is valued at $28,000.
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