The 40th Session of the Caribbean Meteorological Council (CMC) opened at the Sherbourne Centre in Barbados on 7th December, 2000 with delegates and members from the Caribbean Meteorological Organisation (CMO), focussing mainly on arrangements for the implementation of a regional radar project.
The project will see radar systems established in four Caribbean countries – Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Belize.
In formally opening the two-day Meeting, Barbados’ Minister for Agriculture and Urban Development, the Hon. Anthony Wood, urged the CMC to forged ahead with plans to facilitate timely implementation of the project. Mr. Wood also called on CMO members to finalise their own individual arrangements to avoid barriers against the setting up of the system. “We have indeed come too far and planned for too long for our efforts to be forestalled,” Mr. Wood said.
Referring to changing weather patterns across the Region, Mr. Wood also stressed the importance of training of Caribbean meteorologists. “Changes in intensity of rainfall and greater propensity for flooding have been recorded in several countries across the Region and worldwide. The continued thrust in training must be maintained if we are to understand and anticipate these occurrences,” he said.
“The Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), together with the University of the West Indies, must remain the prime educational institutions for the training of regional Meteorologists,” Mr. Wood added.
He chided CIMH contributing members for their delinquency in meeting their share of the cost of running the Institute, forcing the CIMH to defer its rehabilitation programme for its building. “This state of affairs clearly cannot continue as it limits the institute to be managing little beyond paying wages and salaries, and running the minimum of training courses. I trust that this meeting will result in a firmer commitment on the part of member states to bring their outstanding arrears down to a more manageable level, and to ensure that the benefits of regional cooperation are felt by all,” he said.
Delivering the opening remarks on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Deputy Programme Manager, Communications, Mr. Louis Daniel, called for greater mobilisation of the Region’s disaster planners and national emergency services, while enhancing their technological capabilities to give the Community early warning signals.
“This type of preparedness capability would undoubtedly add to the security of our population by helping to reduce loss of life and damage to infrastructure, particularly to our tourism industry,” Mr. Daniel said.
He hailed the Council meeting as an excellent forum for the sharing of technical information among meteorologists. “Access to such information could also restore investor confidence in our Region, and once again encourage insurance companies to maintain a healthy business presence in our Community. Likewise, I hope this new CMO Radar Project provides an opportunity and enhance the ability of our meteorologists to unite around the common theme of sustainable development and regional integration.”
Mr. Tyrone Sutherland, Coordinating Director of the CMO, emphasised the need for the Caribbean Region to keep up with the technology, in order to timely and accurately assess the impact of climate change on the economies of Caribbean territories.
