By Bernadette H. Carreon
Horizon news staff

Over 75 individuals from various government agencies and private entities attended a workshop on maritime drill last week, to better prepare Palau o respond to catastrophic events.
Dana Ware, Coast Guard Liaison Officer of the United States Pacific Command said the recently concluded maritime exercise is one of the series of workshops set by the United States Joint Task Force Homeland Defense.
He said that the agency is working with its Pacific partners on issues surrounding maritime security.
The workshop conducted a tabletop exercise which deals with a scenario of a typhoon hitting Palau.
He said the workshop is aimed at helping Palau gain tools and reevaluate the country’s preparedness in dealing with catastrophic events such as a typhoon and earthquakes.
The workshop also emphasized on hazards and vulnerability assessments, international maritime law enforcement, intelligence and planning, criminal and terrorism threats and the synchronization matrix and gap analysis approach.
He said the Pacific islands are not alone in dealing with security challenges which could be difficult to inadequate resources.
Next year another workshop will be scheduled which will focus on command post exercise.
The National Emergency Management Office and the Ministry of Health hosted the workshop.