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Santo Domingo.- Emergency Operations Center (COE) director Juan Manuel Mendez warned Thursday that the Dominican population isn’t prepared to deal with major earthquakes and it’s up to the Government to ready prepare it, because that implies hundreds of millions of pesos his agency doesn’t have.
He said COE doesn’t have funds to deal with such an importance issue in the event of an earthquake, and that it never had a budget assigned in its first six years. “Since last year the Presidency assigns us RD$1 million per month, of which we allocated more than 200,000 to pay personnel and nearly 700,000 for operating expenses.”
Méndez said COE has plans and guidelines to respond to an earthquake but isn’t able to massively instruct the population.
The official added that despite the meager funds the agency has built a reputation of credibility and respect among the population, which to a large extent attributer to the media’s contribution.
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The DR Gov't (like all gov'ts) are in a reactive posture regarding emergency preparedness and/or continuity. And they better not depend on the US (as a host nation ally) to pull their ass outta the rubble since the US is in financial strife. The DR-EOC should be proactive enough to establish a public-awareness campaign on family preparedness.
"campaign on family preparedness"? - No. They are campaigning for more funding.
Credibility and respect are not the first responders tools. The population needs something more strategically tangible to engage the chaos of a quake.
In 12 years these Purple Narco Punks haven't been able to run a breakfast program without causing an outbreak of diarrhea, why would we ever think they could handle a major catastrophe like an earthquake!
Earthquakes and hurricanes are "Acts of God". If you don't believe me, read your insurance policy (unless you're Dominican and don't believe in insurance). Well with all that money our government has given to God (via His representative on Earth, the Catholic Church, in accordance with the secret 1954 Concordat), He wouldn't do that to us faithful believers.
Ohh hang on - Duvalier gave millions to Mother Terresa and look what happened to Haiti and especially the Archbishop, his cathedral and many of his clergy and congregation.
Jesus! We've been paying the wrong God! Sorry folks, were fu*ked!
Allah be praised.
"Ready" means having and enforcing an appropriate building code for an earthquake-prone country like this. It means educating the public on what preparations people should make, including having a plan on what to do if and when it eventuates. It involves having a national strategy, with trained specialists and equipment, ready.
True there is no warning so all the more reason why these things need to be done - immediately.