FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness last week wrapped up an extensive, month-long training effort geared specifically at responders in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The center’s Caribbean Area Initiative resulted in the virtual delivery of critical training – in both English and Spanish – to more than 500 responders in the two U.S. territories. It included multiple offerings of its Emergency Medical Response Awareness, Health Sector Emergency Preparedness I and II, and Barrier Precautions and Controls for Highly Infectious Disease courses.
The effort builds on training the CDP conducted in Puerto Rico in 2018 and 2019, following hurricanes Irma and Maria, when it helped prepare a large number of public health and healthcare workers for future disasters. More than 1,000 of the island’s professionals participated in that training.
According to the National Weather Service, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico see a tropical storm about once every five years and hurricanes less frequently. But the storms which hit tend to cause catastrophic damage to the territories.
