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Coping with Hazards in the Caribbean: Promoting Resilience and Sustainability

This article explores the challenges of coping with multiple natural hazards in the Caribbean region and highlights the need for risk reduction initiatives that respond to the increasing impacts of recent events. It emphasizes the importance of shifting from reactive to proactive measures, improving societal resilience, and promoting sustainable development. The article also discusses recommendations from key regional and global forums and conferences over the past decade.

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Coping with Hazards in the Caribbean: Promoting Resilience and Sustainability

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  1. The Challenge of Coping with the Natural Cycle of (Multiple) Hazards in the Caribbean: Promoting, Selecting, Adopting and Adapting Risk, Resilience, and Sustainability Initiatives .

  2. Risk Reduction Initiatives need to respond to - • Exposure of Wider Caribbean Region to a range of hazards; • Increasing Impacts of recent events • Urgent need • to further develop coping capacities and mainstream risk reduction strategies • Shift from Reactive to Proactive Measures • Improve the relatively low societal/national ‘Resilience’ • Move towards “Sustainable Development”; • Many recommendations at key regional and global Fora, Conferences and Seminars over the past decade

  3. Natural hazards in the CaribbeanFrom: Munich Re, 2002.

  4. Regional Tectonic Map

  5. NATURAL DISASTER “CALENDAR” Hurricane ‘Season’ ………(?June 1–Nov 30?) Northers High Seas /local floods (Mid Dec–March) Floods Floods(+lslides) Wildfires 1 (Feb-April) Wildfires 2 (June–Aug) Drought (can last years .. Associated with el Nino?) Earthquakes and Tsunamis, Rare Events (no season) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

  6. Caribbean Vulnerable to many risks and hazards (not confined to Hurricanes) Geophysical: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Volcanic Events, etc Climatic: Hurricanes, Floods, Drought, Windstorm, Northers etc Biological: Human, Animal and Plant Diseases Technological: Fires, Air / Marine Transport Accidents, Releases of Toxics and Biological Agencies Other: Civil Disorder, Terrorism, Conflict, War, Displaced persons SLOW ONSET: Drought, Climate Change

  7. Trends / Emerging Issues • Climate Instability possibly related to GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE • “Environmental” Emergencies • Marine Accidents / Spills ; Atmospheric Pollution; • Wildfires • SHOCKS / Consequence Management • Effects of ‘Offshore’ / Transboundary events • 9/11 ; Airport Closures; Trade / Energy “Shocks” • Business CONTINUITY Planning / Processes • Complex Emergencies / Humanitarian / Human Displacement / Refugee Events (Haiti / Cuba etc) • BioSafety ; Human DISEASE SARS / Avian Flu

  8. Meteorological Hazards (with Climate Change drivers) • Long Term Cyclic fluctuations continue (past peaks in 30’s / 60’s) • Scientific Opinion leaning to Peaks + Changes in Intensity driven by Global Warming • Worst Case: • Extended Season (May – December) • More named Events / Higher intensities • More “Hurricane Days” / Longer lived • Unusual tracks / Wider zones of influence • More intense Rainfall / Wider and Longer Flood Episodes • Multiple / Cumulative Effect of above + Sea Level Change • Traditional ‘safe areas’ affected

  9. Geological Hazards • Significant Threat in Greater Antillees where some experts have postulated ‘Seismic Gap’ • City / Municipal Heavy Rescue Capacities (Kingston/ S de Cuba/ PaP/ Cap H/ Santo Domingo/ San Juan/ etc) not adequate • Tsunami threat locally significant • Research / Knowledge creation issues

  10. Volcanic Risks • Several Possible volcanic ‘hotspots’ known (eg Dominica ) • Volcanic Scenarios needed to address both island sources and wider impacts • Effects on Regional Transportation Systems (esp AIR Traffic) • Effects on Local and Regional Economies • Landslide and Local Flooding

  11. Next 15 – 20 Years • Linkages to Development Targets better understood and acted upon • SUSTAINABILITY Links • National Goals & Priority Setting • Global / Regional / National / Subnational / Sectoral Capacity Building

  12. Disaster Culture Mainstreamed via Private Sector, Civil Society, Local and National Govt partnerships • Resilient Sectors (Tourism etc) and societies • Planning / Budget and Fiscal Strategies inc RISK ISSUES • Effective zoning and physical planning • Functional Construction / Building Safety administration • Scenario based contingency planning from Local to Regional levels

  13. Coping Processes must … • Cover credible events, scenarios and futures, their mitigation and their potential consequence(s) • Large, medium and small scale • Natural / Man induced / High / Low Probability • Effects on Human, Natural, Social and Economic Capital Assets and systems • Adequately deal with all facets of RISK • Cover all phases including return to ‘normalcy’ • Be part of MAINSTREAM / CORE Functions of all Societal Stakeholders ie The State + Private + Civil Society in genuine PARTNERSHIPS

  14. Ensure that Command, Control, and Communication functions are carried out to secure • people, property, EMERGENCY PHASE • natural resources, physical assets, livelihoods, revenue streams and sectors PRE and POST EMERGENCY • Be based on PROACTIVE systematic approaches NOT ONLY REACTIVE response • Cover Mainstreaming MITIGATION / PREVENTION

  15. SPECIAL CONCERNS • Significant Major investments (eg Hotel Plant / Energy / Utilities / Health Facilities / Infrastructure) preferentially located in HAZARD PRONE ZONES • on Coast (Exposed to Coastal Inundation fr Hurricanes, Tsunamis) • In Flood Prone Areas (Insular and mainland states) • On Reclaimed soils prone to LIQUEFACTION and • Landsliding • Inappropriate Removal / Damage to Natural Protective Systems eg Reefs, Wetlands, Watersheds has been a continuing feature of Caribbean Development (ie Slash & Burn NOT confined to Informal / Rural) • Under investment / Poorly developed “Culture of Maintenance” related to Drainage & Sea Defence Works / Infrastructure / Built Environment / Housing Stock (incl Emergency Shelters) • Significant concentrations of Risk in Capitals • High proportion of Populations in Informal Settlements

  16. WW2BW/IWCAM:Integrated Watershed and Coastal Area Management – Ecosystem Based Management Initiatives BioDiversity + Habitat Conservation Programs Watershed / Water Supply Management Urban Development Forestry Activities Industrial Development Harbor Management AgriculturalDevelopment Coastal: Infrastructure /Tourism Development Fisheries / Aquaculture Programs + MPAs Courtesy: UNEP-GPA

  17. Concerns Cont., • ‘New’ Sectors (Financial/Tourism) often not integrated into National Response / Recovery systems • Lessons from recent disasters (eg IVAN in Cayman / Tsunami / recent Quakes) learnt slowly or not at all • Business continuity planning not uniformly institutionalised (eg via CSME) • REACTIVE rather than PROACTIVE • SCENARIOS not consistent (within / across the society and critical entities)

  18. Components of Risk (Davis) Risk of Disaster Human Vulnerability Natural Hazards Exposure Resistance Resilience Magnitude Duration Frequency Location relative to Hazard Environmental Surroundings Livelihood Health Adjustments Risk Reduction Actions Preparation After Mark Pelling 2003 ‘The Vulnerability of Cities’ Page 48

  19. The Safety Chain

  20. Effective coping systems • RiskSensitisation / Early Warning / Vulnerability Awareness / Capacity Building systems involves chains of actors / processes • Narrow “technical” conceptions of such systems leave weak links in the chain – where failures occur (eg Warning System failures in Haiti/Grenada?2004, S AsiaTsunami 2004, TONGA 2006) • “Mainstreamed” = ‘infused’ into education and culture as well as the business and livelihood related societal value systems. Knowledge and capacity for timely action (pre, during, post) threat at appropriate levels ‘Technical’ awareness =, zoning, safer built env; & monitoring + Alert / Warn’g Services Shared Societal Knowledge of the risks faced by Communities = Risk ‘Culture’ Wide Formal and Informal Diffusion/ Dissemination of Useable risk info products

  21. Coastal Inundation

  22. NEEDS • Improved Business Continuity Planning • WORST CASE SCENARIOS • High Impact Rapid Onset • Evacuation vs ‘Hardening’ • PLAN COMPREHESIVELY CONSIDER WORKERS, RESIDENTS • Integrated with NATIONAL / REGIONAL • EFFICENT SHARING OF LESSONS LEARNT • TSUNAMI / IVAN • CAYMAN “CARS’ to CARIBBEAN • Details on Vital Records / Flooding / • Communication Issues • RISK REDUCTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY ALL SECTORS INCLUDING TOURISM

  23. Continuity of Business:Tourism/Financial Services Sectors • Tourism and Financial Services Sectors are NEW critical elements of the economy. • Their hurricane experience is varied and apparently their special vulnerabilities, needs and sensitivities have not as yet been comprehensively integrated into all National Disaster Planning Processes • Tourism Sector concerns include the exposure of plant, the special evacuation/welfare needs (of the Guests + workers), marketplace communication and recovery plans. • Financial Service Sector concerns include continuity of utility and communication services, business interruption, and welfare of staff (+ families) • Traditional HURRICANE COMMITTEES may not be fully aware of all the needs / concerns of private sector elements as they are largely public sector / safety focussed. • The impact of interruptions of these sectors on REVENUES / JOBS s have significance for the entire country!!

  24. Lesson • New / Emerging Economically important sectors need to be engaged in both the Prevention and the Contingency Planning processes. • The lessons from these sectors in Cayman / Bahamas / elsewhere in the Caribbean need to be compiled into a Best Practice Guide as soon as is possible. • The implication for Jobs and the State Revenue impacts of Natural Disasters need to be analysed and responded to by Stakeholders in a more systematic way across the Region

  25. Summary and Conclusions • Historical Hazard Information, sound science, data derived from demographic, economic and environmental sources, Vulnerability analysis and exposure related factors can be used to assess risks, prognosticate on impacts, provide foresighting scenarios and measure various types of likely, possible, probable outcomes. • The identification of risk factors, the relationships / correspondence between projections based on assessed risks and historical disaster patterns, makes these risks foreseeable and the worst cases avoidable?? • This creating an opportunity for action to build RESILIENCE in communities / enterprises / sectors and to reduce risks and losses through pre-emptive action rather than perpetuating [the current] repetitive cycle of disaster event, relief and recovery, followed by other disaster impacts. • In high risk areas, where disasters are most frequent and losses highest, failure to reduce risks allows disaster losses to continually drain off hopes of economic development.

  26. National/Societal Programmes & Projects to Improve Systems Structures, Mechanisms & Procedures Educate, Increase Capacity to access, create, use skills, & KNOWLEDGE Organization Complexity Enabling Strategies Supportive Policy, Legal & Institutional Frameworks Individual/Local Time “Capacity Development”

  27. UWI Based Initiatives • SIDS University Consortium • Mandated in Mauritius Strategy • Under active development • UWI Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD) - a regional ‘portal’ for a range of SD issues • Resilience and Risk Reduction • Sustainable Tourism • Foresighting

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