Caribbean disaster management conference demands that region prepares, not respond to disasters

The Caribbean has made some progress in preparing for and reducing the devastating effects of Natural Disasters in the region, however much more need to be done to limit the loss of life, damage to infrastructure and subsequent crippling effects to economies and social systems within the Caribbean.

The region’s approach to preparing for and mitigating the effects of natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, flooding as well as health related emergencies involving contagious diseases such as Avian Influenza, Malaria and Dengue Fever, were among a myriad of issues explored at the 3rd Caribbean Conference on Disaster Management. The Conference was hosted by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) in association with its partners and held in Barbados from December 8-12, 2008.

“Despite the growing impact of disasters and the development of the concept of disaster risk reduction in the last years, behaviour towards reducing risk and vulnerability is still at a very initial stage,” Salvano Briceno, Director of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction told close to 200 Disaster management practitioners and experts. The participants who were drawn from within and outside the region met in Barbados to engage in dialogue and to reflect on the progress being made to advance Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) in the Caribbean. They also discussed the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) global platform as it relates to the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 on disaster risk reduction.

Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)
In January 2005, 168 Governments adopted a 10-year plan to make the world safer from natural hazards at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, held in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) is a global blueprint for disaster risk reduction efforts during the next decade. Its goal is to substantially reduce disaster losses by 2015 - in lives, and in the social, economic, and environmental assets of communities and countries.

The Framework offers guiding principles, priorities for action, and practical means for achieving disaster resilience for vulnerable communities. Priorities for action include:

1. Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation.
2. Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning.
3. Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels.
4. Reduce the underlying risk factors.
5. Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.

However, Mr. Briceno said, that while many countries are making progress in disaster risk reduction and are already using the Hyogo Framework for Action as a guiding tool, the world is not on track to achieve the HFA aim of a substantive reduction in disaster losses by 2015.

“The number of disasters and the scale of their impacts continue to grow, driven largely by the increasing vulnerability to natural hazards, but also by the effects of climate change, threatens the lives an livelihoods of millions of people and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs).

“Disaster can set back development for years or even decades, economies can be hurt in such a manner that health and education programmes suffer tremendous setbacks as scarce economic benefits are directed elsewhere in the years after a disaster occurs,” Mr. Briceno, who delivered the Feature address at the conference’s opening ceremony, stated.

However, he said many countries in the region still primarily focus on disaster response and continue to be dominated by humanitarian assistance and emergency management rather than focusing on risk reduction (prevention, mitigation and preparedness) including proper engineering and reconstruction after disasters.

“In many situations, this attitude can actually increase the causes of vulnerability, if efforts are not planned and coordinated with the authorities and local communities, and they do not focus on sustainable development.

Mr. Briceno warned against lack of preparedness for disasters due to the existence of assistance to developing countries to help with recovery efforts. Describing that approach as a “simplistic viewpoint” he noted that this lack of vision could be because emergency response and humanitarian assistance after disasters are more visible and measureable in the short term, attract greater visibility and gain credibility in the eyes of public opinion. He said this approach is way too costly to be acceptable, especially for poorer Caribbean nations which are more vulnerable to disasters and would suffer greater losses including loss of life.

“It comes as no surprise that that the long term economic effects of disasters are usually much worse in poorer countries, or in poorer regions of a given country,” he stated. “In the Caribbean, While the same hurricane4 hardly kills anyone or only very few in some countries, it can become a terrible disaster in another, with Haiti being the most noticeable case, due to the high level of human social, economic and environmental vulnerability,” he continued.

The 2008 Atlantic Hurricane season, which ended on November 30, 2008, was ranked as one of the most active seasons in the 64 years since comprehensive record began. Of the 16 named storms which were formed, five were major hurricanes of category 3 strength and higher. Four of the five caused major devastation in Haiti including loss of life of more than 800 persons and an estimated infrastructural and other property damage of more than US$1Billion.

Head of Affairs at the US Embassy in Barbados, Brent Hardt, who also spoke at the opening ceremony, described Haiti’s experience as “an enormous loss which is most tragic, of people and resources for a poor country with a Gross Domestic Product of 11 billion dollars.

Mr. Briceno emphasized the need for the region to work together to develop regional approaches to comprehensive disaster management.

“Decisive and systematic action is needed to move our efforts into higher gear. If we want to catch up and achieve significant reduction in vulnerability, then there is no other option but to work on achieving high- level commitment to reduce risks, supported by sound and policies and adequate funding both at national and local government levels,” Mr. Briceno added.

Jeremy Collymore, Coordinator of CDERA, noted that the conference occurred at a time when the Caribbean’s vulnerability to the multiple and diverse hazards is no longer in question.

“This vulnerability has been compounded by the frequency and severity of hazards such as hurricanes and floods linked to climate variability, as well as by an economic environment in which escalating food and energy costs have negatively impacted our response capacity,” he stated.

“To meet the challenges of this changing threat, landscape, regional disaster management must change,” he said. The impending transition of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency, (CDERA) to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, typifies this change and reflects the holistic, Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) approach that the region is now pursuing,” he continued.

The agency’s name and mandate change is expected to take effect September 2009.

The need for change of approach and mindset to disasters in the region was echoed by Conference Chair, Andria Grosvenor.

“Caribbean disaster management has undergone a paradigm shift over the past few years, with the discipline changing from a single person or unit dealing with the response to a single hurricane hazard to a more multi-hazard approach involving the coordinated action of numerous private and civil society personnel in all stages of the disaster management cycle, from prevention and preparedness response and recovery,” she stated, noting that the CDM Strategy and Framework, adopted by the region in 2001, has been the driving force behind the evolution.

Hosted this year, under the theme CDM - A Catalyst for Change, the Conference highlighted the changing face of disaster risk management. Sessions focussed on mainstreaming disaster risk management efforts into key sectors such as agriculture, finance and education. Other areas that were addressed included pandemic threats, planning for earthquakes and tsunamis, climate change and climate variability, humanitarian reform in response operations and emergency management of vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

An exhibition hall, a cultural evening and film festival were also aspects of the conference which were open to schools and the general public and showcased good practices, tools and products on a wide range of disciplines and field that impact on disaster risk management.

CDERA has received the support of development partners, regional institutions and the public and private sectors in the planning and staging of the Conference. Major contributors include: Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), European Union (EU), United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), United States Agency for International Development/Office For Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), United States of America Southern Command (US/SOUTHCOM).