Disaster Fund Committee missing in action for 24 months

The National Disaster Fund Committee (NDFC), which has the critical responsibility of managing the National Disaster Fund (NDF) and signing off on sums to be allocated for relief and other purposes in the wake of a natural disaster, has been non-functional for the past two years.

Alarm bells went off when the director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) requested $350 million for Hurricane Melissa relief efforts, only to discover that no committee had been appointed.

The 4th Schedule of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) indicates that the Cabinet, on the advice of the minister, may appoint by instrument in writing the NDFC.

Section 40 of the DRMA requires the financial secretary to approve withdrawals from the NDF after consulting the NDFC.