# Presentation: 245935

## Natural Hazard Mapping in the Caribbean 

- Natural Hazard Mapping in the Caribbean
- - New Initiatives, Emerging Needs

- Presented at High-Level Meeting in the Use of Geospatial Technology in Sustainable Development in the Caribbean,
- March 18, 2004, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

- Cassandra Rogers
- Disaster Mitigation Facility for the Caribbean
- Project Supervision Division
- Caribbean Development Bank

## Impacts of Disasters in Selected Countries

| H. Gilbert [1988) | Jamaica | $1.1 B in damage; 65% of GDP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| H. Hugo [1989] | Antigua/Barbuda, St. Kitts/Nevis, Montserrat, British Virgin Islands  | 3.6 B in damage; 200% of GDP for Montserrat
 |
| TS. Debby [1994] | St. Lucia | $79 M in damage (18% of GDP); 58% of banana crop loss |
| H. Luis, Marilyn
[1995] | Antigua

Dominica | 60% fewer tourists 3 months after; 65% of GDP
$66.7 M in damage |
| H. Georges
[1998] | St. Kitts | $485 M in damage + 85% housing damaged or destroyed; 50% of sugar harvest |
| H. Lenny [1999] | Barbuda

Anguilla, Dominica,
 St. Kitts/Nevis | 95% of agricultural crop

$251 M; [53% of GDP for Dominica] |
| Soufriere Hills Volcano [1995-] | Montserrat | Devastation of the economy |
| Floods [2002] | Jamaica | $116 M in damage
 |

## Natural Hazard Risk Management (NHRM)

- Paradigm Shift

- Focus on risk identification and risk reduction  rather than on disaster management
- Risk identification: hazard mapping, vulnerability and risk assessment
- Risk reduction: mitigation and prevention

- Mainstreaming NHRM into development planning** **

- Hazard maps are basic information sources

## Montserrat, 1997

**High Risk**

- Hazard mapping: basis for
- NHRM
- Development planning decision-making

## 

Mainly project driven 

- Mainly project driven

- Status of Hazard Mapping in the Caribbean

- Availability
- regional maps available for EQ, SS, volcanic hazard (2004)
- national - level maps for some hazards; varies by country (~30% coverage)
- few multi-hazard assessments
- national coverage varies

- Scale
- mostly national; suitable for regional planning
- few detailed local level /community maps, but increasing

## Status of Hazard Mapping in the Caribbean

- Input data quality
- often obsolete
- unreliable

- Lack of formal structure to access and disseminate results

- Maps not always user-friendly
- Hazard mapping /assessment methodologies vary

## 	national / regional development 

- Challenges to Systematic Production and Use
- of Hazard Maps for Sustainable Development

- Coordinated and integrated framework  for HMVA for
- 	national / regional development

- standardization of data and mapping methodologies
- digital hazard databases at national level
- digital dbase of natural and anthropogenic features
- integrated into national GIS
- elevation models at appropriate resolution
- same/compatible datum and projection across region

## Current Initiatives

**Facility for the **
**Caribbean (DMFC**)

**Caribbean Hazard **
**Mitigation Capacity **
**Building Programme **
**(CHAMP) **

**Mainstreaming disaster mitigation into development planning**

- Caribbean Development Bank  Corporate Priority
- Promote vulnerability reduction to natural disasters  through support for development and adoption of hazard mitigation policies,  standards and practices

- CDERA
-  Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Strategy
- Vulnerability reduction through integrated disaster mitigation and development planning, in the context of the results framework for CDM

**Caribbean Disaster **
**Management Project **
**(CADM)  **

## CDERA – CDB Collaboration in Hazard 

- CDERA – CDB Collaboration in Hazard
- Mitigation Planning

- Standard products and procedures
- Capacity building in hazard mapping/VA

- National hazard mitigation plans (Belize, Grenada, St. Lucia, Jamaica)
- Digital hazard database compatible with national GIS
- National-level hazard maps for priority hazards
- High resolution multi-hazard mapping of highly vulnerable areas
- Vulnerability assessment of critical facilities

- Hazard Mapping and Assessment Standards

- Hazard data
- Hazard assessment methodologies

- Seeking partnerships

## Impact of the (natural hazard) environment on the project and the project on natural hazards 

Integral and extension of EIA

- Integral and extension of EIA

- Mainstreaming Natural Hazard Risk Management
- into Development Planning: Natural Hazard
- Impact Assessment (NHIA)

- Preventative approach to NH risk minimisation through explicit incorporation of hazard mitigation into project design

- NHIA

## NHIA-EIA Process: Principal Natural Hazard Interventions

- NHIA-EIA Process: Principal Natural Hazard Interventions

## Implications for Hazard Mapping/ 

- NHIA requirement will significantly increase demand for accurate hazard mapping and vulnerability assessments, and at varied scales
- Opportunity to promote enhancement and use of geospatial technology

- Implications for Hazard Mapping/
- Vulnerability Assessment

## Greater demand for high-quality hazard mapping (HM) requires:

Coordinated approaches to HM at national and regional level

Digital hazard databases within national GIS framework

Standardisation of HM and assessment methodologies

Common datum and projection 

Capacity building

- Coordinated approaches to HM at national and regional level
- Digital hazard databases within national GIS framework
- Standardisation of HM and assessment methodologies
- Common datum and projection
- Capacity building

- Existing / Emerging Needs

**Centers of Expertise for Hazard Mapping**
- Greater use as a tool to enhance hazard awareness and risk reduction
- More systematic use by planning agencies and other potential users for national/regional development

## Disaster Mitigation Facility for the Caribbean (DMFC)

*“**Strengthening Regional Capacity for Disaster Mitigation”*

**Disaster Mitigation Facility for the Caribbean (DMFC)**