 It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this very timely and necessary National State Gold Orientation and Consultation Workshop with a focus on the National Emergency Operations Centre. A portion of what we are going to do today is critical where it pertains to disasters in St. Lucia. And since we speak of all hazards and not just the hurricane season and all, as in what comes on, it is important that the running of the National Emergency Operations Centre be understood by all persons. Is the Nerve Centre for all operations where it pertains to disasters? Is the command and control portion of it? Thanks for having us on behalf of the SIDIMA Executive Director. I want to say thank you very much to NIMO and the World Food Government of St. Lucia for inviting us here. NIMO in collaboration with SIDIMA felt that as part of SIDIMA's planned series of preparedness activities across the participating states, St. Lucia would benefit from basic level training for the members of the NEOC. Now this workshop, as you know, emergencies, hazards are very prevalent in our region and one way we can combat it is through coordination and coordination starts at home. So this workshop will be held bent on persons understanding the function of the NEOC, the roles and responsibilities, the alert portions of it, and all goes down. I urge you to ask as many questions as possible so you get a better understanding. So in the event that you are calling to action, you get a better understanding of what it is. I've got a chance to review your plans, you'll have a very beautiful plan. That's quite comprehensive, but if persons are not aware as to what they are supposed to do in the plan and coordination is lacking, then it's not worth the people it's printed on. Everything that is done at the national level feeds into what happens at the regional level. So if your systems are not strong at the national level, then that in turn weakens the system at the regional level. The NEOC is essential in every phase of disaster management because it serves as the hub for all coordination from the critical agencies during an incident. Therefore, it is necessary that everyone who forms part of the NEOC be aware, knowledgeable and have a better understanding on their roles and responsibilities during activation in accordance with the national emergency management plan. Everyone present at this workshop represents a crucial component to ensure that any coordination or management of a disaster or incident is done effectively and efficiently. After much consultation, it was highlighted that most individuals who form part of the NEOC teams by virtue of position are new to the post and have not been oriented or may not be aware of the roles and responsibilities at the NEOC upon activation or they may not have a basic knowledge or understanding of the operations of the NEOC. So we are here today to work with you. To get your feedback on your operations, you have responded to a number of situations in the past. You have recommendations, you have best practices, we are here to listen, we are here to provide guidance, we come with some experiences from other countries in the region, so we are here to provide some guidance and recommendations that you could use to enhance your national plans and your national emergency management system. So by the end of this workshop, it is expected that everyone is oriented to their respective roles as articulated in our national emergency management plan, that we are able to identify gaps and challenges in the national emergency management system and that we can make recommendations for addressing the gaps and challenges identified. So again, distinguished guests, your participation and contribution over the next few days is key to ensuring that any operation in our NEOC is effective and can run as smoothly as possible. I wish you a successful and engaging workshop. Thank you.