THE EDITOR: “Misguided.” As reported as being said by the CEO of the ODPM, this is perhaps the most fitting way to describe the public statements made by Barry Padarath, Minister of Public Utilities, regarding the ODPM’s role in flood response.
The minister’s comments (made Wednesday during the launch of the 18th National Climate Outlook Forum at the Civil Aviation Authority Training Centre at Piarco) reveal a troubling misunderstanding of basic national disaster management structures – a misunderstanding that is not only disappointing, but dangerous in its potential to mislead the public and undermine confidence in disaster co-ordination.
To clarify: the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) is not a first-responder agency. Its activation and intervention follow a tiered chain of command. Under the established incident command framework, the primary responsibility for responding to localised flooding lies with the disaster management units (DMUs) of the relevant regional corporations, which fall under the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government.
The ODPM provides technical support, co-ordination, and escalation only when a regional corporation has formally declared that an incident has exceeded its operational capacity. It does not, and cannot, pre-empt or supersede the jurisdiction of local disaster response mechanisms unless that threshold is met.
To deliberately mischaracterise the ODPM’s function as frontline or ad hoc emergency response is to invite confusion in moments when clarity and co-ordination are vital.
If Minister Padarath is unfamiliar with these basic operational distinctions, it is even more perplexing, given his past and present roles as Member of Parliament (formerly Princes Town and currently Couva South). One would reasonably expect an MP – and a cabinet minister – to understand how the various arms of government function, especially during climate-related local emergencies.
For ease of reference, the responsibilities of regional corporations include:
* Local roads and drainage maintenance.
* Public sanitation and waste collection.
* Oversight of minor infrastructure and public buildings.
* And, most relevant to this letter, local disaster response and co-ordination through DMUs.
Contrastingly, the ODPM, which falls under the Ministry of National Security (or its current equivalent), operates at the strategic level. It does not bypass the chain of command. To suggest otherwise not only reflects a failure to grasp the fundamentals of emergency governance, but also risks undermining the same systems designed to protect our communities.
To be clear: disaster management is neither a space for political point-scoring nor misinformation. It demands precision, co-ordination, and respect for institutional roles. Misleading the public about who does what in a crisis only sows confusion, delays response, and ultimately puts lives at risk.
MARISE JOHNCILLA
via e-mail
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