Bahamas, June 9, 2017 – Nassau – On Thursday, June 8th, Senior Information Officer at Bahamas Information Services (BIS) Lindsay Thompson paid a courtesy call on U.S. Charge d’Affaires Lisa Johnson at the U.S. Embassy to discuss her participation in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Ms. Thompson also serves as the Public Information Officer for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
During the period of February 11-March 4, 2017, Ms. Thompson traveled to several U.S. cities along with representatives from twenty-one countries to share best practices and meet with key stakeholders and NGO’s focused on Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.
During the professional exchange, the participants visited Washington, D.C.; New York, Salt Lake City, Utah; Miami, Florida and New Orleans, Louisiana. The objective of the program was to examine U.S. local, state and federal approaches to disaster management, emergency preparedness and emergency response. They also examined how government, NGOs, community organizers, first responders and media align in advance their emergency preparedness and response plans.
Other key areas of focus included the opportunity to explore the importance of community-based partnerships and strategies for developing emergency preparedness and response plans; Demonstrate the variety of emergency preparedness and response structures at federal, state and local levels, and highlight current training practices and feature the constructive impact of community input.
In her meeting with Charge Johnson, Ms. Thompson discussed how she plans to utilize her experience to develop her portfolio at BIS and NEMA.
Press Release: U.S. Embassy Nassau Bahamas
