**Table 1.5: Disaster Exposure Indicators, Caribbean**<sup>**Region(1970-1999)**</sup>

||**Disas**|**terOccurren**|**ce**|**Disaster**<br>**Fata**|**-Related**<br>**lities**|**Econom**|**icLosses**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Country**|**Numberof**<br>**Catastrophic**<br>**Events**|**Occurrence**<br>**peryear**|**Occurrence**<br>**perkm2**<br>|**Fatalities**<br> <br>|**Fatalities**<br>**(per1000**<br>**inhabitants,**<br>**1995)**<br>|**Amount**<br>**(US$**<br>**million,**<br>**1998)**<br>|**Percentage**<br>**ofGDP**<br>**(Percentage,**<br>**1995)**<br>|
|Antigua&Barbuda|7|0.2|17.5<br>|7<br>|0.10<br>|105.7<br>|18.1<br>|
|Bahamas|4|0.l|0.4|5<br>|0.02<br>|290.4<br>|9.5<br>|
|Barbados|5|0.2|12.5<br>|3<br>|0.01<br>|148.4<br>|6.3<br>|
|Cuba|35|1.2|0.3<br>|181<br>|0.02<br>|578.0<br>|N/A<br>|
|Dominica|7|0.2|8.8|43<br>|0.60<br>|133.4<br>|55.0<br>|
|Dominican Republic|17|0.6|0.4|1839<br>|0.20<br>|2,657.2<br>|17.3<br>|
|Grenada|4|0.1|13.3<br>|0<br>|0.00<br>|30.1<br>|9.5<br>|
|Haiti|31|1.0<br>|1.1<br>|2031<br>|0.30<br>|288.7<br>|7.3<br>|
|Jamaica|19|0.6|2.6<br>|271<br>|0.10<br>|1,988.1<br>|29.3<br>|
|St.Kitts&Nevis|7|0.2|17.5|6<br>|0.20<br>|312.5<br>|116.5<br>|
|St.Lucia|8|0.3|13.3<br>|54<br>|0.30<br>|1,554.6<br>|272.3<br>|
|St.Vincent|9|0.3|22.5<br>|5<br>|0.04<br>|47.0<br>|16.5<br>|
|Trinidad&Tobago|8|0.3|1.6|9|0.01<br>|16.7<br>|0.3<br>|
|Montserrat'|5|0.2|50.0|43|3.40<br>|323.7|899.0|
|**Average**|**11.9**|**0.4**|**11.6**|**321**|**0.40**|**605.3**|**112.0**|
|**Memo:**<br>||||||||
|CentralAmerica<br>|**33.6**<br>|**1.1**<br>|**0.3**<br>|**9,184**<br>|**1.10**<br>|**3,868.0**<br>|**60.6**<br>|
|Latin America|**39.8**|**4.5**|**0.6**|**13,356**|**0.50**|**4,879.0**|**9.6**|

GDP, 97 est., CIA World Fact **Book.** N/A= Not available. Source: EM-DAT; World Bank Development Indicators.<sup>Reported</sup> in<sup>Charveriat (2000,p.38)</sup>

# **Box 1.5: Impact of a Volcano on a Caribbean Island: The**<sup>**Case of Montserrat, UK**</sup>

The Caribbean island of Montserrat, whose territory is<sup>0.6timesthesizeofWashingtonDC,andhas12,853</sup> inhabitants, constitutes an extreme example of the kind of<sup>impactthatdisasterscan haveonasmall,undiversified</sup> economy. In 1996, 81 percent of the island's economic activities<sup>was associated withthetournsmindustry.In1989,</sup> Hurricane Hugo caused an estimated US$240 million in<sup>damagesand leftaloss-to-output ratioof morethan600</sup> percent.' The hurricane also damaged or destroyed<sup>98</sup> percent<sup>of the housingstock.In1995,while the island was still</sup> recovering from Hugo (with growth rates between 0 and 2<sup>percentin1992,1993and1994),theSoufriere Hills</sup> Volcano became active again after being dormant<sup>for 350years,causing32fatalitiesandthe evacuationof 70 percent</sup> of the population. Volcanic activity, which peaked in 1996-97<sup>with severalviolent eruptions,subsided by March1998,</sup> leaving much of the island uninhabitable and unsuitable<sup>foragriculture.TheUKgovemmenthas committedabout</sup> US$100 million (equivalent to 300 percent of the island's<sup>GDP)to reconstruction.Despite this massiveassistance and</sup> the boom generated in the construction sector, GDP declined<sup>by18.5 percentin 1997realtermsand declned againin</sup> 1998.

'Calculation using 1996 GDP, CIA World Factbook Source CIA World Factbook 1999; DFID, 1999, pp. 60-61;<sup>Crowards, 1999, p. 18)</sup><sup>**in**Celine Charvenat 2000</sup> 21