The Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative, supported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN Office for Disaster Reduction and the World Bank/ GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery), will issue a report in Cartagena on lessons learned from the 2017 season.

The report identifies how to enhance the early warning systems and increase preparedness of Caribbean communities for the 2018 season and highlights gender issues and how men and women were affected differently by events.

Despite the devastation, even some of the hardest hit islands have been showing signs of recovery. “It is not a picture of gloom and doom. Visitors are coming back,” said Evangeline Innis-Springer, Deputy Director with the Department of Disaster Management, the Virgin Islands. But it is a slow process. “The road to recovery is not a quick fix,” she said.

Risk evaluation is fundamental. Preparation needs to be constant because hurricanes are not the only threat; the region is also exposed to other phenomenon, such as earthquakes, heavy rains and landslides.

The private sector should play a role, but research shows that it is little prepared. Only 35 per cent of private companies have any documented disaster resistance plan and of these about 25 per cent are in need of updating or testing, said Jeremy Collymore, Research Fellow, University of the West Indies.

Another issue is the effectiveness of government. “The elephant in the room is that we don’t talk about governments. One of the central issues is governance,” said Deodat Maharaj, UNDP Senior Advisor for the Caribbean.

The Caribbean’s ability to prepare for natural disasters and respond to them effectively is limited by its economic weaknesses – its low economic growth and productivity and its high levels of debt, said Dr. Justin Ram, Director Economics, Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

A crucial element in recovery from natural disaster is getting people back to work in a region where most people are employed in micro and small enterprises. Better insurance schemes could help in allowing these businesses to get up and running quickly.

But the situation also calls for greater regional integration. “You cannot have a resilient island, we need to have a resilient region,” Ram said.

Date:

22 Jun 2018

Sources:

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction – Regional Office for the Americas (UNISDR AM)

Themes:

Capacity Development, Early Warning, Risk Identification & Assessment, Complex Emergency, Disaster Risk Management

Hazards:

Storm Surge

Regions:

Americas