United Nations agency UNICEF has agreed to continue partnering with leading telecoms firm, FLOW to strengthen communication links in the event of natural disasters in the Eastern Caribbean.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) to this effect was recently signed between UNICEF and FLOW. The MOU will strengthen the two organisations’ five-year-long collaboration to send “life-preserving messages via texts” in the wake of disasters such as hurricanes, tropical storms and floods.

Jensen Sylvester, FLOW’s Barbados manager, said the messages would cover such topics as hygiene, child safety and protection, the prevention of mosquito-borne illnesses and logistic information on relief efforts.

During the virtual signing ceremony held recently, UNICEF Representative for the Eastern Caribbean Office, Dr Aloys Kamuragiye, underscored the importance of the agreement after five years of collaboration.

Speaking from St Vincent, where the UN agency is overseeing the relief effort following the La Soufriere volcano eruption, Kamuragiye said: “This current event is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by the Eastern Caribbean region, not only in terms of global pandemics and other health emergencies but also natural disasters.”

He added: “My office is responsible for 12 countries and at any given time one or more of these may be afflicted with an emergency, as we saw in 2017 when Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck five countries within our remit within the space of a few weeks.”

In continuing, the UNICEF rep noted that “one of the things we learned then was that while people left their belongings behind after an emergency, they kept their phones close so they could remain in contact with friends and loved ones, and also to find out what was happening during the emergency”.

In conclusion he stated that “communication was the first thing restored and we saw telecommunications companies as key strategic players, and subsequently we partnered with FLOW to send life-saving messages to children and their families. Good communication is key in any emergency, as it not only saves lives but dispels myths and helps to remove uncertainty”.

For his part, Sylvester said: “FLOW started in 2016, but the project really intensified a year later when we experienced the most costly tropical cyclone season ever when Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck, causing some US$299 billion (nearly $600 billion) in damage.