The 2020 hurricane season is upon us, and it is time for all residents in the Cayman Islands to be prepared for this period. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Cayman Islands encourages all persons to activate their personal and family hurricane plans. Each ADRA Cayman Islands volunteer must also enable their hurricane plans to be available when a hurricane is in the region.
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Cayman Islands was established in 1998 to assist the Cayman Islands Government in disasters. Over this period, ADRA has worked in several restoration processes by distributing food items and managing hurricane shelters. Currently, the organization has an enrolment of over two hundred (200) volunteers.
Some main contributions include:
- Restoration process during Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua (1998) where we rebuilt a clinic
- Hurricane Ivan(2004) Cayman Islands
- Hurricane Irma and Maria Turks and Caicos (2017)
- and recently Bahamas Hurricane Dorian (2019)
One of ADRA’s significant role during a disaster is to collaborate with the Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) to facilitate and implement its Disaster Preparedness Plan. HMCI provides annual hurricane preparedness training for ADRA Cayman Islands, and all our volunteers are given an opportunity to attend these seminars to ensure that they can perform their duties effectively.
Identification of Volunteers
For ADRA Volunteers to work in a disaster, each registered volunteer will be assigned an ADRA ID Card and their ADRA T-Shirts. The card remains the property of ADRA Cayman Islands and should only be used when performing duties related to ADRA’s involvement in a disaster. Note that the issuance of an ADRA ID does not exempt the persons from producing other forms of national ID’s during a disaster upon the request of security personnel who are authorized by the Cayman Islands Government.
ADRA Hurricane Zones
To manage the various tasks during a hurricane, ADRA Cayman Islands has divided the geographical area into 12 Zones and assigned leaders to coordinate the operations of volunteers in the Zones. The zonal areas cover West Bay, Georgetown, Red Bay, Prospect/ Newlands, Savannah, Bodden Town, East End, Northside, and Cayman Brac/ Little Cayman.
ADRA as Voluntary Agency Responder (VARS)
ADRA Cayman Islands is a member of the HMCI Committee identified as Voluntary Agency Responders (VARS). The VARS Committee is chaired by the Red Cross.
The role of VARS is to:
- To provide Volunteers to assist in shelter operations and management.
- Assist in the distribution of food, clothing, water and other items to all districts.
- Maintain close coordination with the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) with the utilization of all resources.
- Provide volunteers with food preparations and post-disaster events.
- Coordinate all activities of volunteer agencies responding to support the Cayman Islands National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
ADRA Cayman Islands Volunteer Membership
The Cayman Islands Adventist and Development Relief Agency (ADRA) operates under the principles and values of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, so volunteers should be able to abide by these ethical values while performing their duties. If you are interested in joining ADRA Cayman Islands, please fill out the attached form and submit it to kyadraexecutive2020@gmail.com where the ADRA Executive Officers will review your application.
ADRA Volunteer Form: https://bit.ly/adravolunteerform
Other Useful Information
For further hurricane preparedness, please visit the Hazard Management Cayman Islands website http://www.caymanprepared.gov.ky/portal/page/portal/hmchome.
Hurricane Information and Preparedness Slideshow : https://bit.ly/3dXWNLa
List of Hurricane Shelters in the Cayman Islands: https://caymanresident.com/live/disaster-preparedness/hurricane-preparedness/hurricane-shelters
ADRA Cayman Organization Chart: https://bit.ly/2ZtFFIc
Written by: Edris Ocho, ADRA Director Cayman.
