DRRC News

	Eruption of La Soufriere St Vincent and the Grenadines	For the latest information on the eruption of La Souf. go to http://uwiseismic.com/General.aspx?id=93 What are the development options for volcanic SIDS? This paper examines issues faced in risk-sensitive development planning on St Vincent and the Grenadines: “The Dilemmas of Risk Sensitive Development on a Small Volcanic Island” https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/5/2/21
	International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2020	The Disaster Risk Reduction Centre invites you to a symposiom on Recognizing the Contribution of Women to Disaster Risk Management in the Caribbean for International Day for Disaster Reduction 2020 OCTOBER 13, 2020 @ 1:00p.m. - 5:00p.m. (Jamaica Time) Join us on You Tube at : https://youtu.be/ZkG7IHERnSM Presentations CDEMA IDDR - Elizabeth Riley CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN TO DRR-CCA IN CARIBBEAN AGRICULTURE-Balfour Spence Panel Discussion_DAV-Deborah Villarroel-Lamb Women in DRR_Draft cbforuwi-Clair Bernard
	Forum: Hurricane Resistant Construction for Householders	The Disaster Risk Reduction Centre in partnership with the Jamaica Institution of Engineers hosted a public forum on Hurricane Resistant Construction for Householders October 23 2019. The forum, which was sponsored by Jamaica National General Insurance Co., examined ways in which small buildings can be made more resistant in the context of increased numbers of major hurricanes in the Caribbean.
	CDEMA Hurricane Dorian Situation Report	SITUATION Major Hurricane Dorian, the 1st named hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane season, formed on Saturday August 24, 2019. At the peak of strength, Dorian, a Category 5 hurricane had sustained winds of 185 mph with gusts of up to 220 mph. Estimated rainfall was 12-15 inches, and storm surge 18-23 feet above sea level. As a Tropical Storm, Dorian placed four (4) CDEMA Participating States - Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Dominica - under Tropical Storm Warning and one (1) CDEMA Participating State - British Virgin Islands under Hurricane Warning. The impacts on these five (5) states were negligible to minimal. Hurricane Dorian significantly impacted the north-western Bahamas islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama and the surrounding Cayes. Read More>>>
	Open Campus Staff receive Disaster Risk Management Training	Sixteen staff members from the Open Campus of the University of the West Indies (The UWI) are now receiving online training to facilitate development of risk reduction plans for their facilities. The members are being trained in various aspects of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) planning. The training follows the extensive damage caused by Hurricanes Maria and Erma in the Eastern Caribbean in 2017, particularly the severe hit to the Open Campus in Dominica, and the decision by Open Campus management to undertake a risk reduction programme. The training supports and strengthens the UWI’s resilience-building agenda. Participants will receive training in vulnerability assessment; hazard assessment; disaster risk reduction; recovery, resilience building and contingency planning and on conclusion will possess skills to develop a DRM programme for Open Campus facilities. The six week course is organized by the Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (DRRC) and the management of the Open Campus and is being facilitated by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). During the course, some of the training material developed in the recently completed Global Affairs Canada funded Enhancing Knowledge and Application of Comprehensive Disaster Management (EKACDM) project implemented by the DRRC will be piloted. Contact: Ms. June Barbour Institute for Sustainable Development 13 Gibraltar Camp Way Mona Campus The University of the West Indies Kingston 7 Tel: 876-9771659 Email: june.Barbour@uwimona.edu.jm
	Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Symposium	A symposium will be held this Saturday September 8, 2018 being presented jointly by the Jamaica Red Cross and the UWI, in honour of the 70^th Anniversary celebrations of both organisations. Please see the attached flyer and programme below. There is no charge to attend. Follow this link for Symposium Programme
	EKACDM Newsletter	ENHANCING KNOWLEDGE AND APPLICATION OF COMPREHENSIVE DISASTER MANAGEMENT
	SMART Heatlth Care Facilities	As the Caribbean continues its journey towards resilience and sustainability, securing greener and smarter spaces is vital. Health care facilities in the Caribbean are being assessed to determine their safe and green standard, through the SMART Health Care Facilities in the Caribbean project. The Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (DRRC), Institute for Sustainable Development, the University of the West Indies has been contracted by the Pan American Health Organisation to conduct the Mid-term performance evaluation of Phase II of the project.The SMART (safer and greener) Health Facilities in the Caribbean project started in May 2015. It is being implemented in seven Caribbean countries: Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines over a period of five years. It is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and implemented by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The evaluation by the DRRC will provide a deeper understanding of the quality of implementation, the effectiveness of the project outputs and contribution to achieving the desired outcomes, sustainability and relevance to health sector resilience. These are expected to contribute to reduction in vulnerability to disasters; inform future phases of the project; and provide experiences/best practices for other developing countries. This phase of the project seeks to support governments of the most vulnerable countries in the Caribbean to assess and prioritize strategies to reduce vulnerability within health facilities and promote safe, smarter and more environmentally friendly facilities. The facilities are being assessed for disaster safety, adaptation to climate change, water and energy improvements, providing a road map for investments. The results will be incorporated within the national risk exposure database of each country. Phase II of the project is based on a highly successful pilot initiative, SMART Healthcare facilities in the Eastern Caribbean, Phase I. In phase I, a toolkit with resources for identifying and implementing practical and measureable Smart (safer and greener) building design, operations and maintenance solutions applicable to the Caribbean region was developed. The Toolkit has a step-by-step guide for Hospital Safety Index (HSI) and Green Checklist to identify areas of risk or for improvement in a health facility. The kit facilitates the assessment of large, medium and small size facilities. Other tools included in the kit are a Baseline Assessment Tool (BAT) and a Retrofitting Economical Support Tool (REST) survey conducted by Florida International University, to assist users set priorities and help to inform the selection of healthcare facilities for retrofit. The evaluation, which will focus on relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability, will cover the period 2015 to 2017, the first three years of the project. It will be conducted over a twelve (12) week period.