– weather and climate monitoring and prediction to be expanded
(Hydromet Department Release)
Guyana is significantly vulnerable to natural disasters caused by Hydrometeorological phenomena, such as floods, thunderstorms and droughts. This vulnerability urges the Guyanese government to be equipped with a real-time monitoring, prediction and prevention of weather-related risks system to better respond to emergencies.
This is why the DEWETRA platform comes in handy– a fully operational platform aimed at multi-risk mapping, forecasting and monitoring, which allows a better reading and understanding of climate phenomena and their impact on the population, and a more efficient reaction to emergencies.
CIMH Workshop Trainers and Participants
Under the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP)-EU-Caribbean Development Bank Natural Disaster Risk Management (CDB-NDRM) programme funded by the European Union (EU), the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) is conducting an in-country training workshop on the Caribbean DEWETRA Platform from February 3- 5, 2020.
The workshop hosted by the Hydrometeorological Service will include technical officers from the hydro-meteorological, disaster management and planning community. The course is aimed at building further capacity and to provide an intensive training on the use of the platform to the personnel. The participants will be given access to the platform and its operational tools (observational, forecasts and static data) that can help to develop procedures for prediction, prevention and mitigation of natural disasters, with a particular emphasis to the development of an early warning system.
During the opening session of the workshop, Dr. Garvin Cummings, Chief Hydrometeorological Officer, underscored the importance of inter-agency collaboration and the implementation of the training in the everyday use of the participants and agencies represented.
“…[DEWETRA] is a tool that can be used to improve the services that the Hydromet Service and other agencies with similar interest provide with regard to disaster risk reduction, hydrometeorology and climate. It is important that we use this training exercise as an opportunity to work more closely with each other and ensure that what is learnt is implemented so that Guyana continues to benefit.”
Apart from forecasting and monitoring climate, the platform is expected to focus primarily on providing Pre and Post impact assessments which will safeguard the health and property of Guyanese citizens.
Chief Hydrologist (CIMH) and Project Coordinator of the DEWETRA Training Workshop, Mr. Sean Boyce
Mr. Sean Boyce, the Chief Hydrologist at the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) and the Project Coordinator of the workshop elaborated that, “The Platform will provide impact forecasting which takes into consideration infrastructure impacted by the event. The combination of information from various sources, whether it be a water level station right here in Guyana, global satellite data or forecast information provided by the National Weather Watch Centre will help give a broader picture of what will happen in the future.”
Approximately 15 participants from the Hydrometeorological Service and the Civil Defense Commission will be participating in the three-day exercise.
