Caribbean governments are making sweeping changes to emergency management plans to better prepare the region for the new reality of hurricane season: dozens of named storms that strike more frequently and severely. The 2005 hurricane season, which ended Wednesday, saw seven named storms in the Caribbean that claimed 70 lives and caused more than $1.5 billion in damages. But the region continues to reel from the 2004 season when four storms killed more than 3,000 people and caused more than $6 billion in damages to already shaky economies. "We've always taken for granted that we live in the Caribbean and storms come and go," said Neil Pierre, subregional director for the United Nation's Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in Trinidad. "They are coming and they are more severe in their impact. I think that recognition is slowly taking place." NEW RADAR SYSTEM Among the changes: installation of a $15.6 million high-powered weather radar system in Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana and Belize in coming months. Financed by the European Union, the radar system is expected to be ready by the start of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season in June, and will allow regional meteorologists to better predict where and when a storm will hit. The radar and a high-powered satellite receiver to be installed in Grenada will supplement the scientific information the region already receives from the National Hurricane Center in Miami-Dade County. "The hurricane center can't function without our data and we can't function without theirs," said Tyrone Sutherland, coordinating director of the Caribbean Meteorological Organization, which is overseeing the installation and hosting a meeting of Caribbean weather experts next week in Trinidad. "East of the Caribbean, there is nothing but water until you get to Africa. Anything you can get is vital." IVAN A CATALYST The effort to be better prepared became a priority after Hurricane Ivan almost destroyed Grenada and severely clobbered Jamaica and Grand Cayman in September 2004. Everyone from residents to developers to disaster experts are now reconsidering how they do business. For instance, after years of ignoring building codes, Caribbean nations like Barbados are becoming more vigilant. The Cayman Islands, already with one of the strongest code enforcements in the region, is considering requiring contractors to take skills tests. In Grenada and Trinidad, national emergency and disaster response plans have been revamped. RESPONSE AGENCY Leading the basin-wide effort is the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency, or CDERA, the region's version of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. CDERA has intensified hurricane preparedness training, provided satellite phones in places like Grenada, and required member countries this past season to conduct weekly tests of their communication systems. Currently, the organization is in talks with shipping companies to identify ships that can transport emergency persons and supplies, still a major weakness in the region. "The plans all have been upgraded to reflect the lessons and experience of 2004," said Donovan Gentles, CDERA's preparedness and disaster manager. "We saw the impact with this with Hurricane Emily." Though Emily destroyed about 100 homes and killed one person in Grenada in July, the island of about 90,000 residents was better prepared, said Sylvan McIntyre, Grenada's national disaster coordinator. "Even before the hurricane was over, we had a clear estimate on what was happening out there," McIntyre said. VIGILANCE URGED The Rev. Vincent Darius, the Roman Catholic bishop for Grenada, said a lot has been done since Ivan, but the region needs to be more vigilant. About 35 churches, including the main cathedral, were either damaged or destroyed during Ivan. "There is always room for improvement, and most hurricanes have shown us the areas where we need to improve," Darius said. Tim Callaghan, who oversees the Caribbean and Latin America for the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, agrees. An estimated 1,300 people were killed in Central America and Mexico during this year's storm season but Callaghan believes it could have been much worse had it not been for the lessons learned from Hurricane Mitch seven years ago. Since then, Central American countries have increased their training and cooperation among each other. "Governments more and more, have seen the importance of having good plans in place, most modern equipment and good people on staff," he said. Reprinted from miami.com