TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TaiwanICDF and two Belizean government ministries launched the Belize Multi-Hazard Risk Management Capacity Building Project on Aug. 27 in Belmopan, Belize.
Under the project, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management and the Ministry of the Public Service and Disaster Risk Management will establish a cross-ministerial mechanism for integrated disaster management. The initiative will bolster the country’s capacity to respond to disasters such as floods and wildfires, according to TaiwanICDF.
TaiwanICDF project manager Lin Li-shan (林莉珊) said the initiative focuses on three main areas: strengthening cross-agency disaster early warning platforms and coordination mechanisms, expanding resilient community development and disaster preparedness capacity, and introducing automated wildfire monitoring technologies.
Lin said the project will establish disaster risk maps for 15 newly selected communities prone to floods and wildfires, promote community-based disaster preparedness and multi-hazard response training, and install three automated ground-based wildfire early warning stations in high-risk areas. It will also use remote sensing and ground observation data to develop wildfire risk assessment models and establish carbon monitoring sites.
This approach will gradually expand Belize’s nationwide early warning coverage, Lin added.
Minister of Sustainable Development Orlando Habet said Taiwan-supported early warning systems have already produced results. Through inter-ministerial cooperation, Belize aims to adopt a multi-hazard risk management approach and strengthen wildfire prevention and preparedness, he said.
Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher said Belize faces recurring hazards every year, including hurricanes, floods, storm surges, droughts, and wildfires. Although disasters cannot be prevented, proper preparation and training can significantly improve communities’ ability to respond, he said.
Usher called the memorandum of understanding an important step toward strengthening national disaster preparedness and local resilience.
