VZCZCXRO1388
OO RUEHGR
DE RUEHWN #1025/01 2272114
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 152114Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE IMMEDIATE 0913
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5238
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0408
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SEC IA WASHINGTON DC
RHMCSUU/FAA NATIONAL HQ WASHINGTON DC
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J5 MIAMI FL
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J4 MIAMI FL
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEPVAP/TSA WASHINGTON DC
RUEWMCS/TSAIP MIAMI MIAMI FLORIDA
RHMFIUU/US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PRO WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUEHCV/USDAO CARACAS VE
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0065

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRIDGETOWN 001025 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR 
SAN JOSE FOR USAID/OFDA-CALLAHAN AND LEONARD 
USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA-THAYER AND LAC/AA 
GENEVA FOR N.KYLOH, USUN FOR T.MALY, SECDEF FOR SOLIC, 
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC FOR J3/J4/J5, USSOUTHCOM FOR 
J3/J4/J5, NSC FOR P.MARCHAMLAGHAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC BB CASC XL
SUBJECT: EMERGENCY ACTION COMMITTEE (EAC) MEETING, 
BRIDGETOWN 
 
¶1. (SBU)  In response to the latest tracking of Tropical 
Storm Dean, Ambassador Ourisman chaired an Emergency Action 
Committee (EAC) meeting on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, 
attended by A/DCM, P/E, RSO, DET CDR, LEGATT, DEA, IRS, CON, 
ORA, IPO, MLO, USAID, OFDALAC, PAS, and GSO.  Also in 
attendance via conference call were Principal Officer for 
Embassy Grenada, Peace Corps Country Director for the Eastern 
Caribbean, and Senior Regional Advisor for USAID/OFDALAC. 
A/DCM reviewed current mission posture in the event the storm 
picks up intensity and causes significant damage to Barbados 
or any other other of the Eastern Caribbean islands, which 
currently lie in Dean's trajectory.  (Note:  The Ambassador 
will be on official travel to Antigua and Barbuda from August 
15-16, then fly to Miami on August 17, before heading to 
Washington, D.C.  End Note.) 
 
¶2. (U) USAID/OFDALAC Senior Regional Advisor, Tim Callaghan, 
informed the EAC that Tropical Storm Dean is currently headed 
slightly north of Barbados at a high speed of 20 mph, with 
maximum sustained winds of up to 60 mph. While experience 
with Hurrican Ivan in 2004 suggests that the storm can 
radically change direction within hours, it is likely that by 
Friday, the center of Tropical Storm Dean will have 
intensified and its center will have reached approximately 
70-80 miles north of Barbados.  Should Dean become a 
hurricane, it is expected that housing and infrastructural 
damage will result, the extent of which cannot be predicted 
at this time. 
 
¶3. (U) Callaghan assured Post that staff is well-positioned 
for disaster response, with USAID consulants currently in 
place in St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, and Barbados, and 
additional OFDALAC communications and technical staff 
arriving in Barbados later in the day.  According to 
OFDALAC's local Barbados consultant, airports will shut down 
their runways once runway crosswinds reach 35 mph, while the 
Barbados Department of Emergency Management, (formerly 
Central Emergency Relief Organization), is currently issuing 
tropical storm warnings and can activate its response plan 
within 24 hours.  A purchase order with GAL Airlines is 
already in place, which will allow USAID and Eastern 
Caribbean Donor Group (ECDG) Members to travel to any 
affected area in the region to conduct a disaster assessment 
as per Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) 
protocol. 
 
¶3. (SBU) RSO informed the EAC that Post is preparing its 
Emergency Operations Center.  Plans have already been 
completed with Barbados law enforcement authorities to assist 
with the Embassy's external security, both before and after 
the storm.  The Marine Security Guard will be reviewing its 
disaster preparation plan and conduct an embassy 
walk-through, and a mandatory radio check for all American 
staff and dependents is planned for Thursday, August 16.  In 
addition, Post has updated its Cascade System (phone tree) 
and conducted an Embassy staff role call.  Embassy staff 
evacuations will not be implemented in advance of a 
hurricane.  (Note: Embassy Bridgetown's NEC is able to 
withstand up to a category-5 hurricane.  End Note.) 
Essential and non-essential personnel will be determined once 
the storm's threat becomes clearer on Thursday afternoon, 
August 16; if appropriate, non-emergency Embassy staff will 
be instructed to remain at home on Friday.  A disaster 
warning for all Consular Wardens in Embassy Bridgetown's 
consular district had been cleared by the Department's Bureau 
of Consular Affairs and sent out later in the day. 
 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00001025  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) In St. Lucia, Peace Corps Country Director for the 
Eastern Caribbean plans to delay the deployment of new 
volunteers to their assignments on other islands until the 
storm has passed.  Embassy Grenada's Principle Officer will 
convene an Embassy staff meeting and checking with local 
disaster coordinator authorities to review disaster response 
plans. 
 
¶5. (SBU) USAID/OFDALAC and Embassy Mission Disaster Relief 
Officer (MDRO) will coordinate and cable Situation Reports 
(SITREPS) and/or other reports as new developments warrant. 
Post's Points of Contact for mission disaster relief 
coordination are: 
 
James Goggin (USAID Director) 
Mission Disaster Relief Officer 
PH: 246-227-4395 
EM: jgoggin@usaid.gov 
 
Anthony Eterno (Acting Pol/Econ Counselor) 
Alternate Mission Disaster Relief Officer 
PH 246-227-4273 
EM: eternoar@state.gov or eternoar@state.sgov.gov. 
 
Sidney Velado 
USAID/OFDALAC Representative in Barbados 
PH: 246-227-4280 
EM: svelado@ofda.gov. 
HOWARD