Dominica

Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Nearly a year ago, catastrophic hurricanes devastated the Caribbean. After Hurricane Irma, almost the entire population of Barbuda, a small island in the eastern Caribbean, was driven to its twin island of Antigua. In Dominica, Hurricane Maria wiped out crops, equipment and infrastructure.

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), have signed an agreement which will add GBP30 million (mn) to the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF). The agreement was signed on the sidelines of CDB’s Board of Directors meeting on July 26, 2018.

Executive Summary

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the paradigm shift from traditional humanitarian response by international actors to nationally led disaster risk management has already taken place, in general terms. Within this, national institutions are looking for more efficient and effective ways to meet the needs of their people, especially those affected by more frequent and severe natural disasters due to climate change.

USAID/DCHA Caribbean – Hurricanes Fact Sheet #7, Fiscal Year (FY) 2018

HIGHLIGHTS

• Recovery operations continue in Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and other hurricane-affected countries in the Caribbean, after the September 2017 passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria

• USAID/OFDA partner Samaritan’s Purse (SP) supports economic recovery in Dominica

• Tropical Storm Beryl crosses Dominica on July 8–9, causing minimal damage

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

Executive Summary

The year 2017 was poignantly marked by numerous humanitarian dramas around the world. From devastating natural disasters to deadly conflicts, Télécoms Sans Frontières has remained mobilised and adapted its response to the specific needs of the affected populations, introducing new and innovative means of providing communications aid.

SYNOPSIS OF TROPICAL STORM BERYL

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, as of 2:00 PM (AST) on July 08, 2018, Beryl continues to move WNW towards the Lesser Antilles with no change in strength. Beryl or its remnants is forecast to approach the Lesser Antilles this evening, Sunday July 08, and cross the island chain tonight.

MESSAGE: Hurricane Beryl forms over the far Eastern Atlantic and progresses west towards the Caribbean.

THE SITUATION:

The government has today (Wednesday 4 July) announced new measures to make sure British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean have the support they need in the event of a repeat of the devastating hurricanes which hit the region last year.

Government departments have been putting plans in place to bring together humanitarian, military support and diplomatic work under a joint unit coordinated by the Foreign Office.

These include:

The situation

SYNOPSIS OF TROPICAL STORM BERYL:

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, as of 11:00 AM (AST) on July 07, 2018, Beryl, the second (2nd) named storm of the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season, was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. As of 8:00 PM the center of Beryl, was located at 12.9N and 53.5W about 550 miles (885km) ESE of the Lesser Antilles with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 1003 mb. The present movement of Beryl is West-North-West or 295o at 17 mph (28 km/h).

The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the UK’s global efforts to end extreme poverty, deliver the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs) and tackle a wide range of global development challenges. The UK’s focus and international leadership on economic development is a vital part of Global Britain - harnessing the potential of new trade relationships, creating jobs and channelling investment to the world’s poorest countries. Throughout history, sustained, job-creating growth has played the greatest role in lifting huge numbers of people out of grinding poverty.

REGION OVERVIEW

SUBMITTED BY KEREN CHARLES ON MON, 07/02/2018
CO-AUTHORS: LORENZO PICCIO

Located in the warm waters of the Eastern Caribbean, Dominica is no stranger to tropical storms and hurricanes. Yet Hurricane Maria, which battered Dominica last September, was unlike anything the island nation had ever seen. Packing winds of over 160 miles per hour, the Category 5 hurricane claimed the lives of 30 people and caused total damages and losses exceeding US$1.3 billion.

The Caribbean is moving closer to a regional strategy to “strengthen people-centred early warning systems across the islands”, according to an expert review led by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and its partners unveiled at the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, late last month.