Belize Hosts Regional CARICOM Disaster Response Exercise

Forty personnel from Belize’s military, police, and fire services are undergoing disaster response training as Belize hosts the 2026 National CARICOM Disaster Relief Unit (CDRU) Exercise. The training is part of CDEMA’s Regional Response Mechanism and is aimed at strengthening national and regional capacity to respond to disasters across the Caribbean. The exercise is the final training activity in CDEMA’s 2026 CDRU program. Participants are being trained in key areas including regional relief and logistics coordination, deployment procedures, emergency telecommunications, warehouse management, safer building techniques, and the use of the CDRU deployment kit. They are also being trained in the CDEMA Logistics System. The training combines classroom instruction with practical field exercises. It is being led by Rasheed Pinder, Program Officer for Preparedness and Response at CDEMA. The exercise runs from June 15 to 22, and will end with a simulated deployment designed to test response readiness across Belize and the wider Caribbean. The training is funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and the World Food Program.