JAMAICA SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES AND

PREVENTION OF DISASTERSXXIV GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MINISTERS OF HOUSING AND URBANIZATION IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

(MINURVI) – MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA– AUGUST 25-28, 2015

OBJECTIVES Definition of Sustainable Development

(What defines Sustainability?, Sustainable Communities, Prerequisites etc)

What are the factors influencing Sustainable Communities? (Economic, Social and Environmental)

Highlighting and examining the natural threats to sustainability of communities in Jamaica. (Vulnerability, Natural Hazards and Disasters)

Disaster Prevention (Methods, Planning, Response, Recovery)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Development which meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

This generally requires: (1) Economic growth (2) Protection of the environment (3) Sustainable use of ecological systems (NSTC 1996, 4).

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Disaster-resilient communities that minimize the

exposure of people and property to natural disasters

(Beatley, 1998, 243).

Where people and property are kept out of the way of

natural hazards, where the inherently mitigating

qualities of natural environmental systems are

maintained, and where development is designed to be

resilient in the face of natural forces” (Godschalk,

Kaiser, and Berke 1998, 86).

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Sustainability is related to the quality of life in our communities.

This requires an integrated view of economic and social activities in relation to the environment. Activities at the community or other level should not take place at the expense of the environment, as the environment is the base upon which communities are built. Sustainability has been embraced around the world

and is increasingly a consideration at all levels of planning and decision-making – local, regional and national.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES [EDUCATION AND PARTICIPATION]

The importance of participation by residents in local

governance cannot be overstated [Environmental Action

(ENACT) Programme, 2001].

The sustainability of a community depends on:

Creating and maintaining its economic and environmental

health

Promoting social equity

Fostering broad-based citizen participation in planning and

implementation.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES WHAT CONSTITUTES SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES?

There are three (3) tenets of sustainable

communities:

1. Economic

2. Social

3. Environmental

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Sustainable Communities

EconomicEconomic base provides a platform for mitigation of

disasters. The basic economic value underlying sustainable communities is the desire to

preserve and enhance a community’s capital assets. A community’s capital assets

increase the capability to remain viable in the face of shocks.

Social Communities that are

resilient to natural disasters are those that involve the participation

of residents in the planning and decision

making processes.Environmental

A healthy environment is critical to disaster prevention as disasters are sometimes

feedback from environmental abuse by humans. A healthy

environment involves minimal ecological impact, minimal

waste or pollution, protection and enhancement of the natural

environment .

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES AND SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Sustainable communities are built upon sustainable infrastructure and

sustainable systems. Sustainable systems refer to the political, governance,

and social structure which provides the basis for community development,

while sustainable infrastructure refers to physical structures such as land,

roads, sewerage facilities, etc. which should not only be built to serve the

present generation but those to come.

NATURAL DISASTERS

Natural disasters can have catastrophic impacts which may be economic,

social and environmental. Damage to infrastructure can severely impede

economic activity. Social impacts can include loss of life, injury, ill health,

homelessness and disruption of communities. Environmental damage can

range from the falling of trees to the reshaping of entire landscapes.

Small island developing economies are often particularly exposed to

natural hazards for fundamental reasons of geography.

Access to resources influence how each will be affected by different

hazards, and how they will cope with and recover from disasters.

Worldwide, loss of life from floods, earthquakes and storms is far higher

among less developed countries than in developed nations.

VULNERABILITY OF SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES [SIDS]

The inherent features of SIDS leading to their special vulnerability

includes;

Small physical size,

Ecological uniqueness and fragility,

Rapid human population growth and high densities,

Limited natural resources, sensitivity and high exposure to natural disasters

Susceptibility to climate change,

Poorly developed infrastructure and limited capacity.

As a consequence, the effects of hazards present in these areas of the world are more

pronounced and cause greater damage. It is this greater tendency for damage that sets

SIDS apart from most other countries. The greater vulnerability of SIDS, in turn,

translates into greater impediments to Sustainable Development.

THE CARIBBEAN AND JAMAICA’S VULNERABILITY TO DISASTER

The natural environments of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are vulnerable to a range of natural and anthropogenic (human-induced) hazards that operate to damage at rates and intensities above those found elsewhere around the globe. The Caribbean region because of its geographic location is more

susceptible to storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and in some few and rare instances volcanic activity.

EXAMPLES OF IMPACT OF NATURAL HAZARDS IN THE CARIBBEAN

Haiti suffered a catastrophic magnitude 7 earthquake in 2010 leaving as many as 316,000 dead and up to 1 million homeless

On the 25th of July 1997 an eruption of a volcano at the Soufriere Hills sent ash up to 40000 feet in the air with pyroclastic flows. As a result of this volcanic activity

Just recently Kick ‘em Jenny marine volcano was active impacting the waters surrounding Grenada and St. Vincent and affecting the movement of ships in the water

JAMAICA

According to the Environmental Vulnerability Index, Jamaica is ranked as

one of the 35 "extremely environmentally-vulnerable“ countries in the world.

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) in 2010 stated that Jamaica is one

of the most vulnerable countries in the world to two or more natural hazards

by virtue of its geographic location, small size, topography and geology

among other things.

The country has been devastated by numerous hydro-meteorological events,

amounting to millions of dollars in damages, loss of lives, and reduction in

economic growth.

During the last decade the country has experienced ten major events with

far-reaching impacts, affecting approximately two million people and

causing approximately $US 1.21 billion (PIOJ, 2010).

JAMAICA 10 YEAR DISASTER RECAP

Nature of Event Year Cost of Damage (JA$)

# Roads Affected

# Communities Affected

Casualties

Tropical Depression Nicole

2010 20,573,500.00 189 130 48

Tropical Storm Gustav

2008 15,051,000,000.00 151 76 12

Hurricane Dean 2007 23,000,000,000.00 269 169 4

Port Maria Rains 2006 48,862,500.00 9 24 -

November Rains 2006 533,200,108.00 17 93 -

Hurricane Emily & Dennis

2005 5,976,910,000.00 14 15 1

Hurricane Wilma 2005 3,419,202,845.40 90 106 1

Hurricane Ivan 2004 35,900,000,000.00 111 177 17

Hurricane Charlie 2004 248,912,460.00 - - 1

May-June Rains 2003 203,347,750.00 - 27 -

Tropical Storm Lili & Isidore

2002 840,394,883.00 - 185 0

TOTAL 85,242,404,046.40 850 1002 84

JAMAICA FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO VULNERABILTY AND IMPACT

Population growth,

Uncontrolled urbanization

Rural and urban poverty resulting in the development of

unplanned settlements on marginal and environmentally sensitive

lands (flood plains and unstable slopes.

The most vulnerable to disasters are the poor living in informal settlements which occupy

poorly drained coastlines, and flood fringe and unstable hillside terrain. They also create

damages to environmental resources, frequently leading, for example, to the degradation of

watersheds, the pollution of water bodies, the accumulation of human waste (both solid and

liquid), the impairment of drainage with increases flooding, and increases in hazard

vulnerability resulting in natural disasters.

IMPACT OF NATURAL DISASTERS

MITIGATION MEASURES AND COPING STRATEGIES

Natural disaster reduction and sustainable development are interwoven. Physical and social infrastructure should be developed in a sustainable manner to ensure that they are able to survive hazards throughout their lifetimes.

Disaster reduction begins with risk assessment and good mitigation

practices. Adequate building codes and proper enforcement of these

codes are essential components of effective mitigation strategies. Of

great importance also are proper land use and management,

especially in vulnerable and sensitive areas including coastal and

riverine environments and geologically active sites.

BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

The impacts of disasters on individuals and

communities can only be minimized through building

resilience. Communities are made more resilient

through:

1. Mitigation

2. Preparedness

3. Response

4. Recovery

BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

The Office of Disaster Preparedness Emergency and Management (ODPEM) was established in 1980 to monitor and evaluate disasters risk, and has been and continues to make progress to improving the resilience of the country at the state level and directly within the communities

Jamaica has come a far way since the catastrophic hazard of Hurricane Charlie in 1951. In keeping with the methodologies of the ten essentials proposed by the UN Habitat City Resilience Profiling Progamme, ODPEM uses the Disaster Management Framework to coordinate disaster awareness and preparation at three distinctive levels: national, parish and community.

ODPEM has been successful in transforming vulnerable communities into more

resilient ones. A perfect example is the Jeffery Town community located in the parish

of St. Mary. It is a small farming community that has been constantly devastated by

hazards and disasters such as: hurricane and attendant flooding and landslides .

The Jeffrey Town community has a low socio-economic background with high unemployment rate. The

hilly terrain and lack of proper draining system frequently led to flooding and landslides. However, based

on the community’s social, environmental and economic vulnerabilities, following the guidelines of the

ODPEM’s Disaster Management Framework, the community was able to ‘respond by building gabion

walls and terraces, which created a free-flowing drainage system through rocks that were supported by

galvanised steel baskets. They also planted trees, checked dams, cleared gullies, and added hurricane

straps to buildings. These simple but effective approaches to disaster risk reduction enabled Jeffery

Town's residents to comfortably feed their families, neighbouring communities and, in the process,

earned global recognition (Jamaica Observer, 2015).

BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

To truly make better advances in developing resilience to hazards, the issues of

informal settlements located near rivers and gullies and other disaster prone areas will

have to be minimized. Regularisation and development of these communities will have

to take place to put residents in safer housing structures with proper drainage

systems. One of the chief contributors to flooding in some communities is lack of

proper drainage infrastructure or living in low lying coastal areas.

ODPEM also indicated that in order to achieve sustainable communities, more focus

should be placed on the housing and education sectors to further the development of

the Disaster Management Plan. Due to a lack of standardized building practices in low

income communities, ODPEM along with the Parish Council Offices seeks to propel

the revision and legislation of the new Building Code (William-Raynor, 2014).

According to the Jamaica Institute of Engineers, 70% buildings are classified as

informal and were erected without professional input or proper authorisation.

ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

ODPEM has indicated that in order to achieve sustainable

communities, more focus should be placed on the housing and

education sectors to further the development of the Disaster

Management Plan. Due to a lack of standardized building practices

in low income communities, ODPEM along with the Parish Council

Offices seeks to propel the revision and legislation of the new

Building Code (William-Raynor, 2014).

According to the Jamaica Institute of Engineers, 70% buildings are

classified as informal and were erected without professional input or

proper authorisation.

MITIGATION STRATEGIES

In the past the primary approaches taken were post-disaster driven;

and intervention /mitigation strategies included:

Relocation of at risk communities,

Checking of dams,

Installing coastal defence mechanisms (sea walls), river training,

groynes and gabion baskets; and infrastructure maintenance.

Current approaches include some bank protection measures

(river desilting and drain cleaning), and relocation of at risk

communities.

MITIGATION STRATEGIES

ODPEM driven Mitigation interventions include:

Building Disaster Resilient Communities PROJECT (CIDA funded)

Hazard Management for Coastal Towns and Cities (IDB Funded)

Slope Stabilization Project (IBRD Funded)

Loss reduction at the Community Level : DIPECHO Community Disaster Management

Project

Disaster mitigation programme to minimize the impact of flooding in Fort George, St. Mary

(USAID funded)

DFID Safer Building Practices Project. (1,103 homes in four parishes were retrofitted) 

Non- governmental Organizations Interventions include:

Red Cross Safe Housing and Livelihood

Oxfam Livelihood /Mitigating agriculture risk

THE WAY FORWARD Jamaica faces the dilemma after each hazard impact “scarce resources earmarked for other development projects are diverted to deal with disaster relief and reconstruction, thereby retarding economic growth” (VISION 2030). Additionally the country faces several constraints to hazard mitigation including the fact that the majority of interventions are post-event driven,; and lack of resources (financial and otherwise ) to implement the more technological approaches in a sustained basis .

Going forward as a nation we must accept: that management of natural hazard to prevent disasters is a long term

developmental issue. We should also reduce the economic losses through the reducing the level of

vulnerability of public infrastructure (cleaning drains, retaining walls, bank erosion and infrastructure).

The role of community members in this participatory approach must be established as paramount, as they have a key role to play in the reduction of vulnerability to their respective communities.

As a nation, we must recognize that “disaster prevention/hazard mitigation is cheaper than disaster response”.

THE END