{"id":7273,"date":"2017-09-14T15:01:15","date_gmt":"2017-09-14T19:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=7273"},"modified":"2017-09-14T15:01:15","modified_gmt":"2017-09-14T19:01:15","slug":"health-ministry-initiates-post-irma-disaster-response-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/health-ministry-initiates-post-irma-disaster-response-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Ministry initiates post-Irma Disaster Response Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"antig-139347554\" class=\"antig-ecab antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-3975338686\" class=\"antig-before-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/medicalbenefitsscheme\" aria-label=\"mbs may\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-may.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-may.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-may.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-may.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-may.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\"   \/><\/a><\/div><p>Senior officials in the Ministry of Health &amp; the Environment convened an emergency meeting last Saturday to plan a comprehensive Post-Irma Barbuda Disaster Response Programme.<\/p><div id=\"antig-3500334288\" class=\"antig-content_5 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.antiguabarbudaculinarymonth.com\/\" aria-label=\"culinary\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:843\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:843\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:132\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:450\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:337\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:675\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:842\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1124\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Health and Environment Minister, Molwyn Joseph told the task force gathering that given the disaster inflicted upon Barbuda by Hurricane Irma\u2019s 185 + miles per hour winds, the post- disaster response will be even more important than the pre-hurricane preparation.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the evacuation of 1,800 Barbudans from the island is unprecedented. \u201cWe have no history to fall back on. We will give it our best effort as we begin but even with our best effort, we recognize that our response plan will evolve as time goes by,\u201d said Joseph.<\/p><div id=\"antig-2308190630\" class=\"antig-content_4 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-3313986585\" class=\"antig-content_12 antig-entity-placement\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1320\/h:730\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1320\/h:730\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:166\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:566\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:425\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:696\/h:385\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1320\" height=\"730\"   \/><\/div>\n<p>The comprehensive post-disaster programme has since been initiated and will focus on the clean-up of Barbuda and responding to the medical and health environmental needs of the Barbuda evacuees, in particular those who are currently being housed in the government managed shelters at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground (SVRCG) and the National Technical Training Centre (NTTC).<\/p><div id=\"antig-2265141390\" class=\"antig-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.antiguabarbudaculinarymonth.com\/\" aria-label=\"culinary\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:843\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:843\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:132\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:450\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:337\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:675\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:842\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1124\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>To date, there are 145 evacuees at the SVRCG and 114 at the NTTC. Another 1,400 to 1,500 Barbudan evacuees have found shelter in private homes, guest houses and hotels.<\/p>\n<p>The clean \u2013 up effort in Barbuda will be spearheaded by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and the Central Board of Health (CBH). Resources are being organized and trucks and other heavy duty equipment will be transported to the island to clear trees, fallen electrical poles, wreckage from destroyed buildings and other debris.<\/p><div id=\"antig-302621038\" class=\"antig-content_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.com\/antigua\/\" aria-label=\"500X500\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/500X500.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/500X500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/500X500.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:150\/h:150\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/500X500.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Dead animals and trash have to be removed and health officials will need to minimize, if not totally eradicate, the risk of water and vector borne diseases.\u00a0 It is essential that Barbudans return to an environment free of these health risks. Some members of the Ministry\u2019s task force expressed the view that with the island\u2019s population evacuated to Antigua, now might be the perfect time to attempt to eliminate the rat population on the island.<\/p>\n<p>The evacuees currently living in the government run shelters present a unique challenge and the Ministry\u2019s programme will concentrate on Medical Services, Environmental Health Services, Mental Health, and Epidemiology Disease Surveillance.<\/p><div id=\"antig-2528692876\" class=\"antig-content_3 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.com\/antigua\/\" aria-label=\"IMG_1115\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/IMG_1115.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/IMG_1115.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:240\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/IMG_1115.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:819\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/IMG_1115.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/IMG_1115.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>The main objectives at this time are: to ensure that persons with medical conditions receive their medication and that chronic diseases are well controlled; to detect medical problems, treat the minor ones in the shelters and refer the more serious cases to Mount St. John\u2019s Medical Centre; to establish and maintain internationally established environmental health standards, particularly with regard to water, sanitation and food safety; to prevent and manage any communicable diseases.<\/p><div id=\"antig-1882574610\" class=\"antig-content_6 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><strong>Medical Services<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Medical stations have been established at the SVRCG and at NTTC. These are staffed by government nurses and doctors and volunteers from the American University of Antigua (AUA). The stations are stocked with basic medical supplies and equipment and the AUA volunteers provide ongoing health education.<\/p>\n<p>Diabetics, hypertensives and patients with other chronic diseases have been identified at the two shelters and medication has been procured from the Medical Benefits Scheme Pharmacy and private pharmacies. Emergency cases will be taken to Mount St. John\u2019s or the Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Persons with chronic diseases requiring medication or non-urgent medical services, and who currently reside in private homes, guest houses and hotels, are urged to go to one of five community clinics, namely All Saints, Grays Farm, Johnson\u2019s Point, Clare Hall and Browne\u2019s Avenue<\/strong>. <strong>The names of the clinics, with their corresponding villages, is being published.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Environmental Health Services:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Ministry Task Force officials recommend the highest possible environmental standards at the shelters with regard to water, sanitation and food safety. Among the recommendations are running water at the shelters, solid waste to be collected twice a day, a container \u2013 at least 40 feet \u2013 to store food, to be stationed at each shelter and properly cooked food to be prepared at a central unit by certified and reputable caterers.<\/p>\n<p>It was also recommended that meals of nutritional value should be provided, especially to the children in the shelters. Ministry officials are asking the public not to bring cooked food to the shelters. \u00a0Dry food products are acceptable. If they are not for specific individuals, they may be taken to the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The aforementioned environmental recommendations will be critical in the prevention of disease outbreaks. Nonetheless, such outbreaks can occur in such trying conditions and every effort will be taken to have early detection and appropriate management as required.<\/p>\n<p>All cases of communicable diseases will be recorded on a daily basis and there will be mandatory reporting to health officials of any symptoms or signs of illness &#8211; vomiting, diarrhea, rashes etc. Data will be analyzed and cases will be investigated and if necessary, isolated and treated.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mental Health:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are two components of this area.\u00a0 First, the management of persons already diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. This has already begun with the identification of known Barbudan psychiatric patients; some have received medication while others have been seen at Mount St. John\u2019s and Clarevue Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Second, the early detection and management\/treatment of the psychological effects of the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma and the subsequent displacement. These include acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Shelter managers, first responders, primary care physicians and nurses will be trained to detect these disorders and patients will be referred to doctors and nurses trained in this area.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, at least four social workers will be assigned to the shelters.<\/p>\n<p>Minister Joseph, at Monday evening\u2019s public consultation with the Barbudan evacuees, reaffirmed the commitment of his ministry and government to provide the displaced with whatever medical service is required, including eye care and dental treatment. He urged the Barbudans to take advantage of the various medical services while they are in Antigua.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to his ministry\u2019s task force last Saturday, Joseph noted that the hospital in Barbuda was destroyed. An ambulance was also destroyed and dental and other medical equipment were lost to Irma\u2019s destructive winds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis gives our ministry the opportunity to put to the government the level of diagnostic equipment that will be needed in Barbuda during the rebuilding process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCritical health infrastructure will be built. A new dental clinic will be built. A new hospital will be built,\u201d the minister added.<\/p>\n<div id=\"antig-1794598309\" class=\"antig-in-comments_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/@hadeedmotorsltd\" aria-label=\"Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 1000w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:75\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:192\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1000\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senior officials in the Ministry of Health &amp; the Environment convened an emergency meeting last Saturday to plan a comprehensive Post-Irma Barbuda Disaster Response Programme. Health and Environment Minister, Molwyn Joseph told the task force gathering that given the disaster inflicted upon Barbuda by Hurricane Irma\u2019s 185 + miles per hour winds, the post- disaster [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,60,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-2","category-health","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Health Ministry initiates post-Irma Disaster Response Plan - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/health-ministry-initiates-post-irma-disaster-response-plan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Health Ministry initiates post-Irma Disaster Response Plan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Senior officials in the Ministry of Health &amp; the Environment convened an emergency meeting last Saturday to plan a comprehensive Post-Irma Barbuda Disaster Response Programme. Health and Environment Minister, Molwyn Joseph told the task force gathering that given the disaster inflicted upon Barbuda by Hurricane Irma\u2019s 185 + miles per hour winds, the post- disaster [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/health-ministry-initiates-post-irma-disaster-response-plan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-14T19:01:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Anr-Molwyn.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/health-ministry-initiates-post-irma-disaster-response-plan\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/health-ministry-initiates-post-irma-disaster-response-plan\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Health Ministry initiates post-Irma Disaster Response Plan\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-14T19:01:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-09-14T19:01:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/health-ministry-initiates-post-irma-disaster-response-plan\/\"},\"wordCount\":1063,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/health-ministry-initiates-post-irma-disaster-response-plan\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:900\/h:600\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Anr-Molwyn.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Featured\",\"Health\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/health-ministry-initiates-post-irma-disaster-response-plan\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/health-ministry-initiates-post-irma-disaster-response-plan\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/health-ministry-initiates-post-irma-disaster-response-plan\/\",\"name\":\"Health Ministry initiates post-Irma Disaster Response Plan - 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