So says, coordinator of Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), Jeremy Collymore, who was speaking at a recent Press briefing at Sam Lord's Castle, St Philip.

"I don't think we are as prepared as we should be to deal with floods, both on the national and  regional level. It must be said that while a flood is not at the level of a hurricane, they are accumulated losses that are very tangible over a period of time. We need to incorporate hazard preparedness as a way of life. We can't afford to be caught by surprise," he said.

Collymore said that dealing with the floods was not the sole responsibility of the national disaster preparedness organisation, but the community as well. He said that many  people were compounding the problem of floods with blocked drains, dumping garbage as well as the ill-advised location of their homes.

The CDERA coordinator said there was a need to increase the number of plans for floods and  landslides since "there have been several events experienced in the last five years in countries without plans for these hazards."

Collymore said he was also concerned about the region's capability to adequately deal with a search and rescue operation as it relates to earthquakes and aircraft crashes.

"On a scale of A to E, I would say we are about B-. There is a lot more that can be done and we need to be  more honest about our readiness capability. We don't have the  specialised resources in an organised way to deal with earthquakes and aircraft crashes and that is why it is important to have more trained volunteers and simulations on a more  regular basis," he said.

In relation to search and rescue operations, the Japanese Government has already donated $3 million to CDERA. Collymore said Caribbean political leaders needed to become more involved in hurricane  preparedness issues in providing a critical link in carrying forward the work of  technical agencies.

He said CDERA was grateful to sponsorship of the United Nations Development Programme, European Union, the  United States Office of
Foreign Disaster Assistance, and the United States Southern Command.