The European Commission re-affirmed its commitment to disaster risk reduction in the Caribbean by launching the Disaster Preparedness (DIPECHO) action plan 2013-2014. 8,5 million Euro will be invested in disaster preparedness and reducing vulnerabilities related to natural hazards in the Caribbean.
The action plan has the goal to enable millions of people in the region to be better prepared for natural hazards, such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis. All actions figuring in the plan will be coordinated with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDEMA). In 2013 the cooperation of the two authorities proved valuable, when tropical storm Chantal hit the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. Equipment installed as part of previous actions of DIPECHO allowed the population to evacuate timely to the nearest shelters.
