Major traffic incidents to fall under ODPM planning

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) will meet with the Ministry of Transport and several state agencies to discuss an evacuation plan for the Uriah Butler Highway. According to chief executive officer of ODPM Stephen Ramroop, within the next two months the ODPM would include major incidents on the nation’s highways such as the situation on Monday in which a truck knocked down a T&TEC pole on the Uriah Butler Highway, near Grand Bazaar. That incident caused a major gridlock from Grand Bazaar to Couva on the northbound lane of the highway.

He also referred to a similar traffic problem in Chaguaramas during the Redbull Flugtag event in July this year. He said the ODPM had recognised situations where traffic was shut down because of a major incident as a recurring problem and the need for proper co-ordinating and harmonising of alternate routes and evacuation plans were necessary. Ramroop was responding to questions from reporters yesterday during a news conference held at the ODPM’s Tacarigua office to discuss the 6th Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management.

The conference is scheduled to take place in T&T at the Hyatt Regency from December 5 to December 9. Deputy executive officer of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Elizabeth Riley said the conference would assist in charting the way forward in terms of comprehensive disaster management. The week-long conference, themed “CDM: Reflection, Introspection and Moving Forward, would include workshops, a public exhibition and youth sessions.