Upgrading Caribbean disaster preparedness and response capacities: Caribbean nations work together for regional resilience

National disaster management agencies in the Caribbean are overcoming challenges to the implementation of effective emergency preparedness and response systems. The Caribbean region is confronted with an increasing number of devastating storms and extreme weather events, as evidenced by the increasing length of the Atlantic hurricane season during which these storms can form, as well as their severity.

These events require advanced government and institutional capacities to adequately prepare for an immediate response in their aftermath. Yet many of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the region are confronted with significant obstacles in designing and maintaining such a system. These obstacles derive from insufficient human and financial resources being invested in these countries’ respective National Disaster Management Organizations (NDMOs), ranging from deficiencies in their institutional frameworks to a lack of coordination between these agencies.