With the objective of reviewing and strengthening the capacity to respond to emergencies caused by hurricanes, those responsible for said area of ​​Cáritas from Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Colombia participated in the Regional Emergency Simulation Workshop from June 27 to 29 in Honduras.

The workshop was carried out and promoted by USAID (From the American People) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), where the attendees carried out a simulation of preparation and response to an emergency caused by a hurricane, mainly in countries more prone to these phenomena, such as the Caribbean and Mexico.

During the simulation, the emergency response capacity of the emergency teams of each country in the area was tested to evaluate and detect strengths, as well as areas for improvement in the following stages: Preparation cycle, actions 72 hours before impact, first 48 hours after impact, 3 weeks after impact.

Central America and the Caribbean: risk area

According to the National Meteorological System of Mexico, it is expected that between 16 and 2 storms will develop in the Pacific in 2023, of which 4 of 6 can become hurricanes and 3 of 5 are of a major category. On the Atlantic side there are 7 to 9 storms, 1 of 3 can become a hurricane, 2 of 4 can be of a major category. The above results in a high risk for vulnerable communities in Mexico, Central America and Caribbean countries.

In this sense, the workshop allows the Cáritas emergency teams from both areas to strengthen their care capabilities because, thanks to this initiative, an axis of communication and cooperation was established between the areas.