 Welcome to Nation Beat. I am General Norville bringing you this brief on the pulse of our nation and highlights around the heart of St. Lucia. Health facilities upgraded to be more resilient and now open. St. Lucia's Minister for Justice believes the time is right for the Caribbean nation to embrace the CCJ and Nemo joins the international community in celebrating Earth Science Week. The Ministry of Health and Wellness is moving to expedite the rehabilitation of a section of the roofing at the Victoria Hospital. During the heavy rains experienced Saturday, November 10, the ceiling of the staff station on the maternity ward collapsed. Acting Executive Director of Victoria Hospital Brenda Kalex says there was no threat to lives. We know that the infrastructure is a very old one and it is already compromised. So as a result of that, the ceiling came down. During that time, there was nobody in the area. So staff safety or patient safety was not compromised. But we had to evacuate the room adjacent to the nursing station. One patient alone was in there and that patient was safe. We have since relocated the nursing staff station to the back of the ward and currently we are assessing the damages and we will be provided with an estimate so that we can get the works done on it with immediate effect. St. Lucia experienced heavy rains associated with a trough system from Friday, November 9, 2018. According to the St. Lucia Meteorological Services, a total of 181.1 millimetres of rainfall was recorded at the Huronora International Airport from Thursday, November 8, 8pm to Sunday, November 11, 8am. The total recorded for the corresponding period at the George F. L. Charles Airport was 143.3 millimetres. A tropical wave is churning toward the Lesser Antilles and can potentially become the next organised system in the Atlantic Basin. If it further intensifies into a named storm, it will be called a party. While Caribbean countries have been spared for most of the 2018 hurricane season, rains in several countries have led to floods, landslides and millions of dollars in damage. Three healthcare facilities in St. Lucia have been upgraded to be safer, greener and more resilient to natural disasters. Another smart healthcare facilities project. The official opening of the Derriso, Belvey and Monripo Wellness centres was celebrated with ribbon-cutting ceremonies marking a step in the right direction to ensure climate-smart and safer healthcare facilities in St. Lucia. Minister for Health and Wellness, the Honourable Mary Isaac says she is very pleased with the smart healthcare facilities project as it will play a significant part in strengthening healthcare services in St. Lucia. I am here witnessing the reopening of three necessary and beautiful facilities. For a long time now, our nurses and doctors have had to endure working in a facility or in facilities that were less than adequate with not the level of comfort that they would like. But they continue to provide healthcare for the community as best they could under very challenging conditions and the reopening of this project today will provide them with a reliable supply of water and electricity for better lighting. The smart healthcare facilities project was implemented by the Pan-American Health Organization PAHO with funding from the United Kingdom Department for International Development. PAHO Country Program Specialist, Tessa Strode says organization will continue to work with the government to improve the quality of healthcare services to the people of St. Lucia. Today we hand over to the Government of St. Lucia Free Wellness Centre which have received small interventions based on smart standards. They are not only looking for care but also functional and able to run more efficiently the serving needs of these communities and the long-running people of St. Lucia. Assistant Principal Nurse and Officer Tecla Jabati says she's delighted that health workers receive the necessary training to ensure that the facilities can function at the best. In order to increase their readiness for all emergencies and to support the upgrade of the fire safety installations the staff were also engaged in contingency planning workshops. This workshop was to ensure that all facilities develop and maintain a comprehensive contingency plan. Health workers were trained using smart hospital parameters in contingency planning and methods to respond effectively to future events emphasizing the importance of achieving a 70-plus score on the hospital safety index. The healthcare facility was retrofitted under the Smart Healthcare Facilities Project at the cost of approximately US $100,000. Reporting from the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Health and Wellness I am Fennel Neptune. St. Lucia's Minister for Home Affairs, Justice and National Security has joined Grenada's Prime Minister in voicing disappointment for the results of a referendum to allow Grenada to join the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice as the island's final court. Grenadians voted for a second time within a two-year period to reject efforts to replace the London-based Privy Council as the island's highest court. Senator Honourable Herman Gale Francis believes the time is right for the Caribbean nations to embrace the CCJ as they uplift court as doing so will define how the region governs itself. That eventually the British will not keep the Privy Council because it's expensive to do that and eventually we would have to find our own way. I think it is better that we do it now on our own valuation instead of being forced to do it. And that's what I do. I always feel that our people have the capacity and ability to perform. I remember when we brought in the prisoners from overseas, the prisoners would say they're going to be chaos. And I said, no, I have full confidence in the ability of the members of the prison service. And so I was proof right that for the 12 months that they stayed here, we got kudos and nothing untoward has ever happened. Founded April 16, 2005, the CCJ determines appeals in both civil and criminal matters from court within the jurisdiction of member states of Caricum. However, some member states are still to implement the agreement established in the CCJ as the final court of appeal, St. Lucia included. The CCJ serves as the highest court of appeals on civil and criminal matters for both the national courts of Barbados, Belize and Guyana. There is public concern that the CCJ's function is not independent of political influence. Senator Francis disagrees. Because I studied in Barbados, Barbados politics is a very long, long time. And I remember St. David Simmons, who was a politician and never lost his seat in Barbados, but he actually gave up and became the Chief Justice of Barbados, one of the most successful Chief Justices in Barbados history. And I think we need to give ourselves that sort of comfort that our people are good enough to stand with the best in the world. Meantime, the OECS heads of government have agreed to examine a critical aspect of the CCJ for adaptation at the OECS Supreme Court. The CCJ is funded for an independent trust fund and OECS leaders at their recent authority meeting, considered establishing a similar system for financing the Supreme Court. Prime Minister St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Chairman of the OECS Authority, Dr. Ralph Gonzalez, says such a fund would ensure the continuity of the Supreme Court. Either in its entirety or the appeals aspect of the court system, along the lines of a trust fund which has been established for the Caribbean Court of Justice. You would appreciate that this would require a consultancy to do the requisite study for us to see the size of the consultancy. We have to identify the size of the fund. We have to identify the source, for instance, the CDB as an obvious source. And I am mandated as a chairman and along with the Director General for us to work together to see what the CCJ did and to have a consultancy to carry out the preliminary work. And we want to proceed expeditiously on this matter. The Caribbean Court of Justice Trust fund was developed to ensure the financial independence of the court from political interference. It was established with 100 million US dollars from initial contributions of the member states by way of loans from the Caribbean Development Bank. The income from the fund is expected to finance the expenditures of the court and is administered by a Board of Trustees drawn from various regional bodies. This is Nation Beat. Stay with us. Pamela, I noticed that you built your retaining wall on my property. You will have to give me my land back or compensate me for that. My contractor isn't dumb. I trust that he will not build anything on your property. Where is your proof? Let's go to court. This situation does not require you to go to court. Looks like we have to go through mediation here. Mediation is a way people resolve conflicts like this. Someone, a third party, comes to speak to both parties. This person is called the mediator. The mediator is impartial. He or she makes sure that communication between both parties is effective and efficient. So, the mediator is a judge? No. The mediator is not a judge. Mediators, unlike judges, do not decide cases or impose settlements. Let me get a mediator to handle this retaining wall and that kitchen. Kitchen? Yes, your kitchen also falls on my land. Let me call the mediator. Welcome back. The National Emergency Management Organization, NUMO, joins the international community in celebrating Earth Science Week. The 2018 theme is Earth as inspiration. A series of activities has been planned around the island to commemorate the week. These will encompass the participation of schools, communities, the public and private sector and will be facilitated by a team from the U.E. Seismic Research Center, Trinidad and Tobago. Director of NEMO, Vela Joseph, explained the significance of the initiative. The observance of Earth Science Week in St. Lucia is therefore designed to foster greater awareness and understanding of the geological hazards and also to provide some encouragement and motivation for adoption of preparedness measures by the public to preserve life and property. We do not want to help persons saying that you cannot prepare for an earthquake. There is nothing we can do because it cannot be predicted. There are things that can be done and throughout this week we will be sharing with the public various target audiences what are some of the things that you can do at household level, what are some of the things that can be done at community level and at the national level what are some of the things that we are going to be engaging. The week commenced with a media launch and a schools jingle competition on Monday, 12th November and ends with a disaster awareness fair on the 16th of November at the Castree City Hall and Constitution Park. The fair seeks to create an awareness of mitigation and safety measures which will be showcased by various agencies forming NEMO and other private sector businesses. Ministry of Education School Safety Officer Bernice Kodra spoke of the impact of natural disasters especially on the youth. Vulnerability to climate change and disasters has often been conceptualized as passive and victimhood particularly emerging from post-disaster studies that identify particularly vulnerable groups. This conceptualization is common in literature linking children with climate change and disasters. However, a growing body of empirical research and practice is emerging that counters this vulnerability narrative. Instead emphasizing young people's capacities to influence and participate directly in efforts to learn about, prevent, prepare for, cope with and adapt to climate change and extreme events. Earth Science Week is being celebrated from the 12th to the 16th of November 2018. That's Nation Beat. Join us next time on NTN at 7.30pm with a repeat at 7.30am and on this station as we feel the pulse and heart of our community. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Janelle Norville.