Page 23 - DDME "The Disaster Forum"

A MESSAGE FROM
The President & CEO of ForTsTCI
For@sTCI is pleased to support the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) in its efforts to promote awareness around disaster preparedness, management and response in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI).
Such efforts take on greater importance and urgency as we enter another hurricane season, but the truth is, preparing for hurricanes and other disasters is not a seasonal exercise. Rather, situated as we are in a hurricane zone, prepara@on must take place
every day, at the individual, corporate and na@onal level.
That is the approach we take at For@sTCI. We con@nuously devote efforts and resources in having a robust Business Con@nuity Management system, so that in the event of a hurricane or other disaster, disrup@on to our opera@ons will be minimized. We are par@cularly proud that this system has been tested and cer@fied to ISO 22301 standard in 2018 and this cer@fica@on has been retained in 2019, following an annual audit. This means that as a company, we are in a constant state of readiness, and our employees at all levels subscribe to this ethos. In this regard, the work of our Business Con@nuity Management Team and our Hurricane CommiSee has been exemplary.
We operate on the basis that planning is cri@cal to providing con@nued reliable service to our customers and to execu@ng the right response in emergency situa@ons. The right response considerably improves the country’s chances for a quick recovery, as we proved during our restora@on efforts aOer Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. Leading up to, and in the aOermath of these storms, For@sTCI invested significantly in strengthening the electricity system across our islands, installing stronger poles, building robust infrastructure and a more resilient grid.
As the energy provider to the TCI, For@sTCI also recognizes that effec@ve hurricane preparedness and response must also take place in concert with other stakeholders in the community, including other u@lity providers, the TCI Government and its various agencies, and other partners like the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Associa@on.
Working together, we can achieve much in ensuring that all residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands are sensi@zed to take personal prepara@on seriously. Having an at-home escape plan, restocking emergency supplies, and being aware of where the nearest shelter is, are only a few cri@cal elements that everyone should know. It is also impera@ve that we be ‘our brother’s keeper’ – to look aOer each other and to help make sure that we are all ready to respond in any disaster we may face. Joining together and preparing as a community for all levels of crises will set us apart and posi@on the TCI to restore and return to normal as quickly as possible.
While we don’t know what the next disaster will look like, or when the next storm will hit our shores, we do know that prepara@on is indispensable to our survival. We therefore welcome and subscribe to the DDME’s theme, ‘Partners in Preparedness’ for this hurricane season, and we encourage everyone to make sure that they’re hurricane ready this season.
Eddinton Powell
For@sTCI President & CEO
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