September 11, 2004: Headlines: COS - Grenada: Safety and Security of Volunteers: Peace Corps: All Volunteers in Grenada are Safe

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Grenada: Peace Corps Grenada : The Peace Corps in Grenada: September 11, 2004: Headlines: COS - Grenada: Safety and Security of Volunteers: Peace Corps: All Volunteers in Grenada are Safe

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-141-157-13-188.balt.east.verizon.net - 141.157.13.188) on Saturday, September 11, 2004 - 6:25 pm: Edit Post

All Volunteers in Grenada are Safe

All Volunteers in Grenada are Safe

All Volunteers in Grenada are Safe

Peace Corps Programs Responding to Hurricane

All Volunteers in Grenada are Safe

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 11, 2004 – 5:00 p.m. (EST) The Peace Corps continues its efforts to ensure the safety of its volunteers serving in Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Eastern Caribbean, which includes the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Tropical storm warnings for the Dominican Republic and Haiti have been lifted.

"The Peace Corps is taking every precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the volunteers serving in the areas that have been impacted by Hurricane Ivan," said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. "All volunteers serving in the Dominican Republic, Grenada and Haiti have been contacted and are unharmed following Hurricane Ivan's impacts on those islands. All of the volunteers in Jamaica were securely located at their designated safe houses last evening prior to the arrival of the hurricane there."

As of this morning, the Peace Corps in Jamaica had been in direct contact with the volunteers in three of the safe house locations and had contact with a fourth facility where other volunteers were housed. The Peace Corps can confirm that each of those locations sustained little or no damage. One of the volunteers is located at his work site at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management in Kingston, and is assisting the government of Jamaica with disaster response.

Peace Corps staff in Jamaica are currently in the process of contacting the remaining safe house but have no reason to believe the volunteers have been harmed. The volunteers will remain at the consolidation points through the weekend until they are given notice that it is safe to return to their regularly assigned sites.

As of yesterday, all 23 volunteers in Grenada had been contacted and are safe. All volunteers have food and water and will remain at their safe house locations until further notice.

The emergency operations center at the Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., is fully operational. Peace Corps staff in Washington, D.C. are in constant communication with the staff in Grenada and Jamaica, the State Department, and both U.S. Embassies.

In preparation for possible crisis situations and natural disasters, each Peace Corps program has an Emergency Action Plan specific to that country and developed in cooperation with the Embassy and Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The plans are tested frequently and information is updated constantly. Volunteers are thoroughly trained in their role and responsibilities in the Emergency Action Plan. Posts are prepared for all emergencies.

Families are encouraged to contact Peace Corps’ Office of Special Services with any questions or concerns they may have. The Office of Special Services maintains a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week duty system. The telephone number during standard office hours is 1-800-424-8580, Extension 1470; the after hours number is 202-638-2574. The Office of Special Services may also be contacted via e-mail at ossdutyofficer@peacecorps.gov.





When this story was posted in September 2004, here was the front page of PCOL Magazine:


Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview
This month we sat down for an extended interview with Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez. Read the entire interview from start to finish and we promise you will learn something about the Peace Corps you didn't know before.

Then read the questions and answers one by one and leave your comments on the issues raised during the interview including Infrastructure Upgrades and the new Situation Room at Headquarters, Is there a Budget Crunch this year at Peace Corps, Peace Corps' Long Term Expansion, the Changes to the Five-Year Rule made last year, Safety and Security Issues, the Cooperative Agreement with NPCA, RPCVs in Policy Making Positions at Peace Corps Headquarters, Peace Corps' Departure from Russia in 2002, Director Vasquez's Accomplishments as Director, the Peace Corps Safety and Security Bill before Congress, Continuity at the Agency during Changes in Administration, the Community College Program, and the Director's Message to the Returned Volunteer Community.


Read the stories and leave your comments.






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Story Source: Peace Corps

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Grenada; Safety and Security of Volunteers

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By joseluis couso (64.213.236.250) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 4:06 pm: Edit Post

I would like to be a member of the Peace Corps in Grenade.I'm a retired university professor from Spain living now in Puerto Rico and I want to help the people of Grenada after the last dessasters.


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