June 2020 Volume 3, Issue 3 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR T he COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold as the 2020 hurricane season has begun. This is unchartered territory for all of our member states. The development of a storm or hurricane that could pose a direct threat would be a cause for great concern in the COVID-19 context. The team at the CARICAD Secretariat has always embraced the old adage, “Prior preparation prevents poor performance”. In that regard, experience has shown us that it is the entire public sector of our member states that must be well prepared, not only for dealing with the effects of the continuing COVID-19 crisis, but also the very real threat of storms and hurricanes. The experts have predicted that the 2020 season will be above average in level of activity. They have put the odds of a direct impact in our region at more than 50% probability. We should not take that forecast lightly. We must prepare purposefully and perform to the best of our ability. Then if we are hit, we should use the opportunity to transform our societies, making them more resilient. We have produced this special edition of CARICAD’s Horizon Newsletter to help the public sectors in member states to prepare for the 2020 hurricane season with the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis very much in mind. We have provided practical suggestions that we hope our public sector leaders/managers will embrace and implement. We are aware that you might require more detailed and in some cases, very specialised information that you might not get here in this edition of the Horizon but we hope that this Horizon will make you determined to get any such information from other reputable sources. Please contact us and let us know if there is anything you think that we at the CARICAD Secretariat can do to help you to prepare effectively for this special, 2020, hurricane season. Devon Rowe, Executive Director CARICAD June 2020 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Horizon Newsletter usually comprises articles prepared by staff and personnel of the CARICAD Secretariat along with reproductions of articles written by distinguished personages in the Caribbean. This special hurricane preparedness issue of the Horizon is different. All original articles were written by CARICAD’s Programme Specialist Franklyn Michael. He also undertook all the research for material that accompanies the original articles as cited and sourced information. Thank you, Frankie on behalf of all your colleagues and on my own behalf. Devon Rowe Executive Director CARICAD and Editor-in-Chief 1
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