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By Nerissa Golden

PALM LOOP, Montserrat (GIU) -- Frank Savage, a former governor of Montserrat from the 90s, has urged government officials and residents to continue to be vigilant and prepared for any disaster.

Savage was speaking during a special celebration hosted by current governor Adrian Davis and his wife Sujue Davis to honour his years of service to the island. The former official served Montserrat at the start of the volcanic crisis and subsequently as a consultant on disaster management issues through Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

The former governor was on island as part of the team observing Montserrat’s national disaster simulation exercise last week. He acknowledged that at the start of the crisis scientists said there wouldn’t be more than five years of activity. Now that the volcano has been active for 18 years and has become a part of daily life for residents, Savage noted that everyone needed to be as prepared for other common hazards such as hurricanes as they were for volcanic eruptions.

The disaster exercise was patterned after the last hurricane which devastated Montserrat in 1989, Hurricane Hugo. The fictitious hurricane named Horton wreaked havoc on island and caused injuries. Students of the Montserrat Secondary School acted as the victims and the Montserrat Defense Force camp in Pasture Piece was the main impact zone. The exercise tested all agencies including fire, police, Health services, and also support agencies such as the Red Cross and media. It also involved all government departments putting into motion their emergency plans for operating during a storm and the aftermath.

Premier Reuben Meade was the chief minister at the start of the crisis and he remembered fondly the challenges and teamwork which Mr Savage exemplified in an effort to ensure that Montserrat got the help it needed when Soufriere Hills Volcano began eruptions.

“We each had our own methods of getting things done but the goal was the same,” Meade said.

During the evening celebration, the former governor was presented with gifts, including a collection of news articles about him that featured in the local press during his time in office.

Savage served the island from 1993 to 1997 as the governor. His experiences here created the opportunity for him to consult and teach on disaster management issues for the FCO and UK-based universities. He is officially retiring for active service for the FCO at the end of March 2013.

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