-Trinidad and Tobago’s primary disaster management legislation is the Disaster Measures Act of 1978. The Act gives the President authority for proclamation of a disaster area. In addition, there are several other national disaster management related policies such as the Comprehensive Disaster Management Policy Framework 2007, the Shelter Policy, the National Flood Risk Management Policy, the Critical Facilities Protection Policy Framework, the Draft Hazard Mitigation Policy, the Crisis Communication Policy, the Trinidad and Tobago National Earthquake Response Plan, the National Response Framework, and the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (Government of Trinidad and Tobago 2013). It should also be noted that Trinidad and Tobago are in the process of revamping their disaster risk reduction policies to be more aligned with comprehensive disaster management and the Sendai Framework.
Trinidad and Tobago’s draft Comprehensive Disaster Management Policy Framework 2007 aligns with Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)’s comprehensive disaster management framework with cross-cutting themes of broad-based stakeholder consultation and strengthening institutional frameworks (Government of Trinidad and Tobago). The local disaster management agencies are committed to the framework as the country strengthens its disaster risk management and resilience. Disaster management is implemented through the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), the national agency which coordinates closely with CDEMA. Through the ODPM, Trinidad and Tobago serves as the southern Sub-Regional Disaster Emergency Response Focal Point for CDEMA which supports emergency response to Guyana, Grenada, and Suriname (CDEMA 2016). The Meteorological Service monitors and forecasts weather and coordinates with ODPM on early warnings. Additionally, there is a bottom-up approach where local level disasters are managed by the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government through the disaster managers of 14 regional corporations. The Tobago Emergency Management Agency serves the island separately and trains and supports a strong volunteer Community Emergency Response Team for community-level disaster response.

The Environmental Management Authority and the Ministry of Planning and Development lead programs related to climate resilience (Trinidad and Tobago EMA, 2017). The National Climate Policy, written in 2011, speaks to building resilience of human and natural systems to adapt to climate change. The Integrated Coastal Zone Management Policy Framework, drafted in 2012, provides an integrated approach aimed at maintaining and enhancing the functional integrity of the nation’s coastal resource systems (Integrated Coastal Zone Management Inter-Ministerial Committee 2020).

-The Telecommunications Act of 2001 establishes a legislative framework for telecommunications and broadcasting services in Trinidad and Tobago, for the purpose of encouraging new providers to enter the market, thereby facilitating competition in the sector. It also provides for the formation of a Telecommunication Authority to monitor and regulate the telecommunication sector.

-n 2015, the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (TTCAA) was tasked with providing an oversight on the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in Trinidad and Tobago. Consequently, there was the drafting and implementation of laws, regulations and guidelines to achieve such task. In 2016, the Civil Aviation [(No. 19) Unmanned Aircraft Systems] Regulations were passed by Parliament and pertinent regulatory oversight of these UAS began.