Caribbean

Island Vulnerability explores the challenges which isolated geographies face when dealing with risk and disasters by examining the processes which create, maintain, and could be used to reduce their vulnerability. After some region-wide resources and a research project on Social Vulnerability and Environmental Hazard in the Caribbean, this page provides information on vulnerability issues on specific Caribbean islands:

• Anguilla


• Antigua and Barbuda


• Barbados


• Bermuda


• British Virgin Islands (BVI)


• Cuba


• France's Departments


• Grenada


• Jamaica


• Montserrat


• St. Kitts and Nevis


• St. Lucia


• St. Vincent and the Grenadines


• Trinidad and Tobago


• U.K. Overseas Territories

This page provides information specifically related to vulnerability (including risk, disasters, and sustainability), rather than general information such as travel details, country profiles, government websites, or history. The information provided is not intended to be comprehensive, but is indicative of the vulnerabilities which islands experience and how sustainable solutions might be developed and implemented. The publications listed reflect those in the library of Island Vulnerability.

• CARDIN
  Caribbean Disaster Information Network at UWI Mona
  "CARDIN in collaboration with its partners seeks to provide a new and dynamic approach to accessing and disseminating disaster related information in a manner that adequately prepares and minimizes the effect of disasters in the Caribbean Region. This will be achieved through the collection, indexing and dissemination of disaster information to produce a comprehensive database which encompasses the English, French, Spanish and Dutch speaking Caribbean."

• CCA
  Caribbean Conservation Association
  "The CCA exists to enhance the quality of life for present and future generations of the Caribbean by facilitating the development and implementation of policies, programmes and practices, which contribute to the sustainable management of the region's natural and cultural resources. We do this through a membership that covers the wider Caribbean amongst non-governmental organisations, within government structures and by individuals interested in voicing civil society's concern for the state of the environment in the Caribbean region."



CCA's old headquarters.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 1999)

• CDERA
  Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency
  "It is a regional inter-governmental agency established in September 1991 by an Agreement of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to be responsible for disaster management...CDERA's main function is to make an immediate and coordinated response to any disastrous event affecting any Participating State, once the state requests such assistance. Other functions include:
  

  • Securing, collating and channeling to interested governmental and non-governmental organizations, comprehensive and reliable information on disasters affecting the region.
  • Mitigating or eliminating as far as possible, the consequences of disasters affecting Participating States.
  • Establishing and maintaining on a sustainable basis, adequate disaster response capabilities among Participating States.
  • Mobilizing and coordinating disaster relief from governmental and non-governmental organizations for affected Participating States."

• CEHI
  Caribbean Environmental Health Institute
  "The Institute exists for the purpose of ensuring that the Caribbean citizenry, both present and future are able to experience a long and healthy life."

• CEIS
  Caribbean Energy Information System
  "A regional network among a group of Caribbean countries, committed to the pooling and exchange of energy information. Its databases of information provides support for energy sector use and development, with the ultimate goal of contributing to the national development objectives of participating countries."

• CHAMP
  Caribbean Hazard Mitigation Capacity Building Programme
  "The project is seeking to enhance regional capacity to reduce vulnerability to the effects of natural hazards. This will be done through the development of national hazard mitigation policies and implementation programmes, the promotion of the wider use of hazard information in development decisions and the strengthening of safe building practices building training and certification. CHAMP activities will be carried out in the four pilot states of Belize, British Virgin Islands, Grenada and St. Lucia."

• ECLAC/CDCC
  Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean / Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee
  A list of links with a Caribbean focus on "Natural and Environmental Disasters".

• IDSD
  Information for Decision-Making for Sustainable Development for Caribbean Small Island Developing States
  "As a step towards addressing gaps in access to information for decision-making for sustainable development in the Caribbean, the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) are collaborating on a one-year effort to be implemented in the Caribbean entitled 'Information for Decision-Making for Sustainable Development (IDSD) Project'. This website provides access to outputs from the IDSD Project. This includes the results gathered from assessment missions to the region, materials for a training course on information management, thought pieces and essays on approaches to information management, and a collection of best practices."

• Jessamy, V.R. 2002. "Progression of Vulnerability of OECS States: A Historical Analysis of Root Causes". The Society for Caribbean Studies (UK) Annual Conference Papers, Volume 3.

• Lewis, J. 1980. "Hurricane Damage". Nature, vol. 287, 9 October, p. 480.

• 14. O'Keefe, P. and C. Conway. 1977 (April). Natural Hazards in the Windward Islands. Bradford Disaster Research Unit Occasional Paper 14, University of Bradford, Bradford, U.K., full text (1,946 kb in PDF).

• Participatory Planning in the Caribbean
  A collection of resources related to participatory planning in the Caribbean.

• Poncelet, J.L. 1997. "Disaster Management in the Caribbean". Disasters, vol. 21, no. 3 (September), pp. 267-279.

• Rasmussen, T.N. 2004. Macroeconomic Implications of Natural Disasters in the Caribbean, IMF Working Paper WP/04/224. IMF (International Monetary Fund), Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

• Ratter, B.M.W. 1996. "Complex Resource Management - Requirements for Sustainable Development on Small Caribbean Islands". Geographische Zeitschrift, vol. 84, issue 2, pp. 114-124.

• stormCARIB
  Caribbean Hurricane Network
  "find information, weather discussions and local reports regarding tropical systems threatening the Caribbean islands. A central part of this website is the network of special local hurricane correspondents, living on the islands, who will report, when need be, on how it looks and feels like around them."

• UNEP (M.C. Bernal, L.M. Londoño, W. Troncoso, P.C. Sierra-Correa, and F.A. Arias-Isaza). 2004. Caribbean Sea/Small Islands, GIWA (Global International Waters Assessment) Regional Assessment 3a. University of Kalmar, Sweden on behalf of UNEP.

• UNEP (A. Villasol and J. Beltrán). 2004. Caribbean Islands, GIWA (Global International Waters Assessment) Regional assessment 4. University of Kalmar, Sweden on behalf of UNEP.

• UNEP and SPREP PROE. 2005. Caribbean Environment Outlook. UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya.

By Mark Pelling

Full results from this project are published in Pelling, M. 2003. The Vulnerability of Cities: Social Resilience and Natural Disasters. Earthscan, London.

Social networks and the social capital upon which they are built become key resources in times of hardship, particularly for those individuals and communities excluded from accessing economic and political resources. But what exactly is social capital and can it be strengthened or shaped by aid agencies or governments to enhance security? Research at the University of Liverpool focuses on recent experiences of environmental hazard in Guyana, the Dominican Republic, and Barbados. It explores the political, cultural, social and economic pressures that influence the accumulation of social capital and the distribution of vulnerability.

Caribbean nations are amongst those most at risk from natural disasters and global climate change. They have also experienced far-reaching social change in the last decade that has reshaped patterns of vulnerability. Recent moves towards democratisation, privatisation, and participatory development may have freed social capital and allowed civil society to reduce grassroots vulnerability. On the other hand, urban growth, modernisation, and the decline of group leisure activities may have contributed to social fragmentation.

The researchers studied these changes in Caribbean society and concluded that deeper, more historical forces will make it difficult to shift entrenched social relations that are a root cause of vulnerability. This finding has important implications for international organisations working in the Americas and wider afield, who aim to promote social development and reduce vulnerability in the face of environmental hazard and the future impacts of global climate change. Some of the key findings included:

• Local leaders do not necessarily stand for the needs of the people they represent.


• Men are generally under-represented in community group membership and activities, whereas women are often under-represented in group leadership.


• Dominant business and political interests often take over programmes designed to strengthen local participation, thus reinforcing established patterns of vulnerability.


• Economic development can conceal and promote social underdevelopment.


• Reducing vulnerability to everyday hazards by improving facilities such as inadequate drinking water provision, drainage, or solid waste management also reduces vulnerability to catastrophic events.

This has some of the following implications for policy:

• Public sector and civil society need to be strengthened and urged to work together.


• Integrated approaches to development are more likely to reduce vulnerability than are single programmes, and will have greater flexibility to respond to rapid change.


• Trust and mutual support within a community can be facilitated by focusing on vulnerability.


• Vulnerability can be reduced by focusing on developing social ties within a community.

See also:

• Pelling, M. 1998. "Participation, Social Capital and Vulnerability to Urban Flooding in Guyana", Journal of International Development, vol. 10, pp. 469-486.

• Pelling, M. 1999. "The Political Ecology of Flood Hazard in Urban Guyana". GeoForum, vol. 30, pp. 249-261.

Historic Hazard Events for Barbados, compiled by Bryan J. Boruff as of 2006.
(137 kb in Microsoft Word Format.)

• 7 May 1902 5 mm of tephra falls on Bridgetown from the eruption of Soufrière volcano on St. Vincent.

• 22 September 1955 Hurricane Janet.

• 6 October 1976 CIA-backed agents place a bomb aboard a Cubana flight from Seawell International Airport in Barbados to Kingston, Jamaica. After the bomb explodes, the pilots try to return to Barbados for an emergency landing but smoke from the fire apparently incapacitates them. Some reports suggest that a second bomb exploded, destroying the plane. All 45 passengers, 3 Cubana officials, and 25 crew on board are killed as the aircraft falls into the sea. The CIA later helps the main bomber escape from a Venezuelan jail where he was being held on terrorism charges.

  

  Memorial to the Cubana terrorist victims at Paynes Bay on Barbados' west coast.
  (Copyright Ilan Kelman 1999)

• 3-4 August 1980 Hurricane Allen.

• 16-17 August 2001 Tropical Storm Chantal.

• 23 September 2002 Tropical Storm / Depression Lili.

• 7 September 2004 Hurricane Ivan.

Some Resources:

• CERO
  Central Emergency Relief Organization
  "The Central Emergency Relief Organisation will develop, promote and maintain a comprehensive National Disaster Programme which will:
  

  • Educate all citizens about the various elements of Disaster Management.
  
  
  • Create Appropriate mechanisms which will promote and advance Disaster Management activities at all levels of the society.
  
  
  • Promote and institutionalise the practice of appropriate preventative and mitigation measure for all possible hazards.
  
  
  • Promote the development and maintenance of effective warning, response and recovery plans for all sectors of the society."

• Hazard and Vulnerability Data for Barbados, digital spatial data collected or created by Bryan J. Boruff as of 2006.
  (40 kb in Microsoft Word Format.)

• Perry, C.T. 2001. "Storm-induced Coral Rubble Deposition: Pleistocene Records of Natural Reef Disturbance and Community Response". Coral Reefs, vol. 20, pp. 171-183.

Commentary by Ilan Kelman on 3 January 2003:

The Perry paper is interesting in its thorough treatment of the impacts of storms on coral reefs in Barbados. I have not yet found a similar paper examining the impacts of storms, or lack thereof, on the people of Barbados.

When I was Barbados in the late 1990s, mentioning hurricanes frequently produced the refrain "God is Bajan", i.e. God is from Barbados and protects the island from hurricanes. Yet many Trinidadians suggested "God is Trini" which is why Trinidad is immune to hurricanes. Aside from the deity's obvious nationality crisis, storms which had hit only two generations previously had been completely forgotten.

Barbados was tested in 2002 by Tropical Storm / Depression Lili. Reports from Bajans were consistent about zero fatalities and widespread but not devastating damage. Nevertheless, they gave mixed reviews regarding the people's and authorities' reactions. Criticisms did not clearly indicate a different behaviour or attitude than witnessed in other Caribbean islands which are more frequently visited by storms. As well, perhaps the people had been lulled into complacency by Chantal the year before, even though the authorities did not seem to be.

To comment credibly on Barbados' vulnerability, more formal investigations would have to have been completed at the time. Or we might gain such studies retrospectively after the next big hurricane passes over the island. Which asks the question again: does a study exist on the vulnerability of Bajans to hurricanes or are we left reading about coral reefs?

• Aguirre, B.E. 2004. Disaster in Cuba. Preliminary Paper #340, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware, Delaware, USA.

• Aguirre, B.E. 2005. "Cuba's Disaster Management Model: Should It Be Emulated?" International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 55-71.

• Alvarez, L. 2004. The Potential Correlation between Natural Disasters and Cuba's Agricultural Performance. EDIS document FE490, a publication of the Department of Food and Resource Economics, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, UF/IFAS, University of Florida, Gainesville, Flordia, USA.

• Alvarez, L., F. Vaccari, and G.F. Panza. 1999. "Deterministic Seismic Zoning of Eastern Cuba". Pure and Applied Geophysics, vol. 156, Issue 3, pp 469-486.

• Castellanos Abella, E.A., and C.J. Van Westen. 2007. "Generation of a landslide risk index map for Cuba using spatial multi-criteria evaluation". Landslides, vol. 4, pp. 311-325.

• Centella, A., T. Gutiérrez, M. Limia, and R. Rivero Jaspe. 1999. "Climate change scenarios for impact assessment in Cuba". Climate Research, vol. 12, no. 2-3, pp. 223-230.

• Defensa Civil. Cuba's civil defence manual.

• Glantz, M.H. 2000. "Climate-Related Disaster Diplomacy: A US-Cuban Case Study". Cambridge Review of International Affairs, vol. XIV, no. 1, pp. 233-253. See more information on the Cuba-USA Disaster Diplomacy website.

• INSMET
  Instituto de Meteorología, Ministerio de Ciencia Tecnología y Medio Ambiente de la República de Cuba
  Cuba's Institute of Meteorology

• Naranjo Diaz, L. 2003 (October). Hurricane Early Warning in Cuba: An Uncommon Experience (27 kb in Rich Text Format).

• Sims, H. and K. Vogelmann. 2002. "Popular Mobilization and Disaster Management in Cuba". Public Administration and Development, vol. 22, pp. 389-400.

• Sygna, L. 2005. Climate vulnerability in Cuba: The Role of Social Networks. CICERO Working Paper 2005:01, CICERO (Center for International Climate and Environmental Research), Oslo, Norway.

• Thompson, M. with I. Gaviria. 2004 (26 April). Weathering the Storm: Lessons in Risk Reduction from Cuba. Oxfam America, download from http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/art7111.html
  Abstract:
  Cuba is a case study in successful disaster risk reduction. At the national level, Cuba's disaster legislation, public education on disasters, meteorological research, early warning system, effective communication system for emergencies, comprehensive emergency plan, and Civil Defense structure are important resources in avoiding disaster. At the local level, high levels of literacy, developed infrastructure in rural areas and access to reliable health care are crucial for national efforts in disaster mitigation, preparation and response. Weathering the Storm: Lessons in Risk Reduction from Cuba presents a comprehensive overview of the Cuban model of risk reduction in disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, and explores what may be adapted from this model in other countries. The report focuses on specific recommendations for Central America.

• UNDP. 2007 (January). Cuba, Case Study, Risk Reduction Management Centres at the Municipal and Provincial Level, Best Practices in Risk Management, UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), New York, New York, U.S.A.

• Wieneke, F. 2002. Hurricane Michelle in Cuba: An example of successful disaster prevention (35 kb in Rich Text Format).

• Wisner, B. 2001 (14 November). "Socialism and storms". The Guardian.

• Wisner, B. 2001 (15 November). Lessons from Cuba? Hurricane Michelle, November, 2001 (48 kb in Rich Text Format).

• Global Volcanism Programme's entry for Kick-'em-Jenny volcano.

• Global Volcanism Programme's entry for St. Catherine volcano.

• NERO
  National Emergency Relief Organization
  "Responsible for co-ordinating all disaster-related activities on the island...NERO is guided by the National Disaster Plan. It outlines the roles and responsibilities of all parties during an emergency situation."

• ODPEM
  Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management
  "The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management is committed to taking pro-active and timely measures to prevent or reduce the impact of hazards on Jamaica, its people, natural resources and economy through its trained and professional staff, the use of appropriate technology and collaborative efforts with national, regional and international agencies."

• Woodley, J.D. 1980. "Hurricane Allen Destroys Jamaican Coral Reefs". Nature, vol. 287, 2 October, p. 387.

• Baker, P.E. 1985. "Volcanic hazards on St. Kitts and Montserrat, West Indies". Journal of the Geological Society of London, vol. 142, pp. 279-295.

• Global Volcanism Programme's entry for Nevis Peak.

• Mitchell, T. 2006. The Challenge of Integrating Disaster Policy into National Development Plans: A Case Study of the Caribbean Small Island Developing States of Montserrat and St. Kitts and Nevis. PhD dissertation, Benfield Hazard Research Centre, University College London, U.K.

  This project examines how disaster management policies are conceived and articulated through international, regional and national institutions. By researching the personalities, power relationships, networks and institutional cultures, we can understand how disaster policies are formulated and transformed as they filter down the institutional hierarchy. One such approach to reducing the impact of disasters is 'disaster mainstreaming', a suite of measures that encourages the marriage of disaster and sustainable development planning within organisations, whether governmental or non-governmental. This concept and its application through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency's (CDERA) Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) project, provides the case study for my research. By working three internship periods to obtain a perspective from within institutions (national scale: Montserrat / St. Kitts & Nevis, regional scale: CDERA, Barbados) and by interviewing key actors in international donor organisations and academic departments, I can discover how the idea of 'disaster mainstreaming' has been translated from academic discourse into policy in Caribbean islands. Questions include: -To what extent do academics/donor organisations/executing agencies govern which ideas are converted into applied projects? -How do donor organisations/executing agencies/individual states ensure disaster management projects are sensitised to specific cultural/social/institutional situations? -To what extent do powerful individuals control the development of policy?

  To monitor how successfully Caribbean islands are internalising disaster mainstreaming, I have developed an analytical framework using twenty subjective indicators with associated grading criteria. This allows progress, or lack of it, to be measured and may help to identify which islands need the most assistance. The initial development of this framework was a product of my first phase of fieldwork in Montserrat and St. Kitts, which allowed the indicators to be tested and modified. Consulting CDERA, national policy officers, practitioners and community groups on the respective Caribbean islands during my second phase of fieldwork will help to develop the indicators further. These indicators will provide a tool for researchers, project officers, politicians and community activists, who need to understand and monitor how advanced disaster management policies are in specific localities.

• NEMA
  National Emergency Management Agency
  Talors, Basseterre
  St Kitts and Nevis
  Telephone: +1-869-466-5100
  Fax: +1-869-466-5310

Looking at Nevis from St. Kitts (Copyright James Lewis).

• Global Volcanism Programme's entry for Qualibou volcano.

• NEMO
  National Emergency Management Office
  "The role of the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) is to develop, test and implement adequate measures to protect the population of Saint Lucia from the physical, social, environmental and economic effects of both natural and man-made disasters. Its responsibility is to ensure the efficient functioning of preparedness, prevention, mitigation and response actions."

• Potter, R.B. 2001. "Urban Castries, St Lucia Revisited: Global Forces and Local Responses". Geography, vol. 86, no. 4, pp. 329-336.

• Pugh, J. 2005. "Social transformation and participatory planning in St Lucia". Area, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 384-392.

• "St. Lucia's Retrofitting Project in Action". 1997. Caribbean Housing Network Newsletter, vol. 2, issue 1 (July), p. 7.

Les Pitons, St. Lucia
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 1998)

• Global Volcanism Programme's entry for Soufrière St. Vincent.

• Historic Hazard Events for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, compiled by Bryan J. Boruff as of 2006.
  (103 kb in Microsoft Word Format.)

• Hazard and Vulnerability Data for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, digital spatial data collected or created by Bryan J. Boruff as of 2006.
  (42 kb in Microsoft Word Format.)

• Ferdinand, I. 2006. Hurricane Risk Reduction Strategies in the Windward Islands: Public and Practitioners' Perspectives. MSc dissertation from the Faculty of Business, Environment and Society, Coventry University, Coventry, U.K., download the full text (1.7 MB in pdf).

  There is a hurricane season every year in the Caribbean from June 1st to November 30th; however it is possible for hurricanes to occur outside this period. There are different perspectives of hurricanes held by experts to that of the public and this often create discrepancies in implementing risk reduction measures. Perception of hazards plays a role in how people will respond and make decisions. The Windward Islands are not in the direct path of hurricanes when compared to the Caribbean Islands in the north of the Island Arc, however they are often affected even by the presence of a storm in the region which may cause major devastation.

  While a lot of preparations are done to reduce the effects of hurricanes on a short term basis long term risk reduction strategies are minimal or maybe done in isolation to the community. There is therefore need to refocus the goals of Disaster Management to encompass risk reduction in the Windward Island and the Caribbean region as a whole. This can be done more effectively by incorporating the community on a greater level into planning and policies design aimed at risk reduction. Hence there is need for the promotion of a participatory community approach, improvement in early warning systems and greater collaboration in the Caribbean region to make use of the limited resources.

• Lewis, J. 1997. "The Tale of Three Caribbean Volcanoes: Islands' History,Geography and Vulnerability". Stop Disasters, vol. 32, no. ii, pp. 26-27, download full text (269 kb in PDF).

• NEMA
  National Emergency Management Agency
  "To coordinate a network of agencies and individuals within the country to direct their efforts to the maximum preservation of life and the protection of property in times of disaster."

• Shepherd, J.B. and W.P. Aspinall. 1983. "Seismicity and Earthquake Hazard in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies". Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, vol. 11, pp. 229-250.

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