The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management was established by Cabinet in January 2005, and is responsible for leading the National effort in protecting public health and safety; restoring essential government services; and providing emergency relief to those affected severely by hazards.
By its very mandate the ODPM is committed to formulating an all-hazard approach to emergency/risk management. This all-hazard approach encompasses a comprehensive framework that includes mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
This in and of itself identifies the agency as the principal player in leading the community‘s efforts in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. However, it must be reiterated that the ODPM is a coordinating entity calling attention to another key role, which is that of mobilising all the key players and resources to bring about the best possible approach to lessening loss of life, and damage to property. These key players include the protective services, all government‘s ministries and agencies, non-governmental organizations, community based organizations, faith based organizations, and the Red Cross.
The ODPM also plays a critical role in the community today as its roles and functions influences Trinidad and Tobago‘s rate of progress toward achieving a developed nation status by the year 2020. Development brings with it new risks and the ODPM has to ensure that all these threats are managed and to ensure that this role is carried out successfully the agency oversees what can be considered "consequence management."