FLOOD SIMULATION EXERCISE
The National Emergency Management
Organization (NEMO) in collaboration with the Belize Electric Company Limited
(BECOL) and the Cayo District Emergency Committee are preparing to conduct a
flood simulation exercise.
The exercise will be conducted in
San Ignacio and Santa Elena this coming Thursday, January 28th
starting at 7 in the morning.
The aim of the simulation is to
establish the warning and evacuation requirements in the event the dam breaks
and to inform the public what should be done to save life. The upcoming simulation will test schools
and families, NEMO National Warning Protocol and the Early Warning Sirens, the
Cayo District Committee and Flood Plan, as well as BECOL Chalillo Staff and
Flood Plan..
All aspects of the committee will
be assessed, particularly the warning sirens and evacuation system by way of
simulated and live activities, namely school and family evacuation and river
rescue.
The flood simulation has as its
objectives to test and inform the public about the existing warning system,
establish if the initial warning time estimated by the model will give people
sufficient time to reach designated safe areas, test the evacuation routes and
safe area system, analyze how people, local economies and government would be
affected by the flooding and record information to update all plans required to
save life and make them public following the exercise.
Communities that will be involved
in the simulation include all those areas that are prone to flash floods. These include San Ignacio, Santa Elena,
Black Rock, Chaa Creek and Duploys Resorts, Negroman Farms and Cristo Rey,
Calla Creek, Bullet
Tree Falls
and Santa Familia Villages.
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Posted by:
NEMO Information Unit
