Update island exceeding disaster relief and crisis control coordination plan Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba
It was laid down in the Veiligheidswet BES (‘Security BES Act’) that the Kingdom Representative has the statutory duty to prepare a coordination plan for island exceeding disaster relief and crisis control in the Caribbean Netherlands that is re-established at least every four years. The last version of the coordination plan dates back to 2017.
The Justice and Security Inspectorate evaluated the system of disaster relief on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba following the passing of the hurricanes Irma, Jose and Maria in 2017. The Inspectorate observed that the passage about roles, duties and authorities, as presently laid down in the Veiligheidswet BES (‘Security BES Act’), was described insufficiently clearly in, inter alia, the coordination plan of the Kingdom Representative. This gave cause to an earlier update of the island exceeding disaster relief and crisis control coordination plan Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba from 2017.
The update of the coordination plan gives substance to the statutory obligations pursuant to the Veiligheidswet BES (‘Security BES Act’), clarifies the roles, duties and authorities of the Public Entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, the Kingdom Representative and the relationship with the European Netherlands. Having regard to the geographic location of the islands (countries) in the Caribbean and because certain disasters and crises (e.g. hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc.) are not restricted by territorial boundaries, this coordination plan also describes the relationship with the countries Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten. This is also a statutory obligation pursuant to Section 47 of the Veiligheidswet BES (‘Security Act BES’) and Section 36 of the Statute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The objective of the coordination plan is to provide insight into how the island exceeding disasters and crises in the Caribbean Netherlands are handled. Specifically aimed at the coordination of information illustrations, the collection and forwarding of requests for assistance of the Public Entities and the harmonisation of political / administrative decisions.
Click here for the summary of the coordination plan in English.