St. Vincent & the Grenadines
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CANADA CARIBBEAN DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT FUND Snapshot Document St.Vincent & The Grenadines About The CCDRMF The Canada Caribbean Disaster Risk with similar interests (such as youth Management Fund (CCDRMF) is one and women) or livelihoods (such as component of Global Affairs Canada’s farmers or fishers)’. larger regional Caribbean Disaster Risk Management Program. The CCDRMF is a competitive fund designed to Between 2008 and 2015, there have support community-driven projects been nine (9) Calls for Proposals that enhance the resilience of and in total, the Fund received 212 communities and reduce risks from project applications. Only natural hazards (e.g. floods, droughts, forty-three (43) projects, 20%, from tropical storms, hurricanes) and climate thirteen (13) countries, met the change. criteria and were eligible for consideration. Established in 2008 as a small grant Following a rigorous development facility, the CCDRMF finances projects process, the Fund has supported ranging from CAD $25,000 to CAD thirty-four (34) sub-projects in 11 $75,000, and up to CAD $100,000 in countries valued at just over exceptional cases. The target audience CAD$2.2M. The projects have is community-based organisations, strengthened disaster risk non-governmental organisations, management through improved civil-society organisations, and emergency communication systems, government agencies wishing to shelter retrofits and safer building undertake community projects in the practices, flood mitigation and land following beneficiary countries1 : stabilisation, water storage, food Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, security and climate-smart Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, agriculture, and mangrove Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts restoration. and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. For the purposes of the CCDRMF, a ‘community’ is defined as ‘a group of people living in the same geographical area (such as a neighbourhood, district, city or town)’ or ‘a group of people 1In addition, one small community project was approved for the British Virgin Islands 1 St. Vincent & The Grenadines National Flag Island Overview Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is mainland. For instance, the flood of an archipelago comprised of the December 24, 2013 affected over main island, Saint Vincent (344 km2), 50% of the population and resulted and a chain of over 30 islands and in 9 deaths and damages of EC cays. Only seven of the Grenadine $291.4 million (15% of GDP). Islands are inhabited: Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Union Island, Mayreau, Palm Island and Petit St. Landslides, particularly on the larger Vincent. Mustique, Palm Island and islands, are a significant hazard that Petit St. Vincent are either privately increases during the seasonal rains. owned or are leased by the State to In 2008, heavy rains caused over 25 private companies. landslides and resulted in 1 death. The Grenadines are more susceptible to drought, as there are St Vincent is a mountainous, no rivers and rain water harvesting volcanic island with 40 rivers and is their main source of fresh water. tributaries that drain to the narrow coastal belt. The Grenadines are less rugged and low-lying, with the The country is exposed to highest point being Mount Taboi on low-to-moderate seismic risk. La Union Island (304 m). The country Soufrière last erupted in 1979 experiences a humid tropical climate causing tremendous damage to the with a marked dry season and rainy agricultural sector. The active season. Rainfall distribution is quite underwater volcano Kick ‘em Jenny reliable on the mainland, but in the southern Grenadines poses a significantly lower in the Grenadines. significant tsunami risk. The main natural hazards include Of course, like other small island hurricanes and tropical storms, developing states (SIDS), Saint floods, landslides, earthquakes, Vincent and the Grenadines is volcanic eruptions, and drought. also vulnerable to the impacts Hurricane Janet in 1955 is of climate change, including responsible for the single largest changes in temperature and number of people killed in such precipitation, intensified events, 122 persons. Hurricane hydro-meteorological events Tomas in 2010 was recorded as and associated hazards, and the country’s most costly hazard sea level rise. event with damages of EC $130 million, 2 persons injured and about 6,100 affected. The low-lying Grenadines are especially exposed to associated storm surge and wave hazards. Floods are the most frequent hazard, especially on the 2 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is mainland. For instance, the flood of an archipelago comprised of the December 24, 2013 affected over main island, Saint Vincent (344 km2), 50% of the population and resulted and a chain of over 30 islands and in 9 deaths and damages of EC cays. Only seven of the Grenadine $291.4 million (15% of GDP). Islands are inhabited: Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Union Island, Mayreau, Palm Island and Petit St. Landslides, particularly on the larger Vincent. Mustique, Palm Island and islands, are a significant hazard that Petit St. Vincent are either privately increases during the seasonal rains. owned or are leased by the State to In 2008, heavy rains caused over 25 private companies. landslides and resulted in 1 death. The Grenadines are more susceptible to drought, as there are St Vincent is a mountainous, no rivers and rain water harvesting volcanic island with 40 rivers and is their main source of fresh water. tributaries that drain to the narrow coastal belt. The Grenadines are less rugged and low-lying, with the The country is exposed to highest point being Mount Taboi on low-to-moderate seismic risk. La Union Island (304 m). The country Soufrière last erupted in 1979 experiences a humid tropical climate causing tremendous damage to the with a marked dry season and rainy agricultural sector. The active season. Rainfall distribution is quite underwater volcano Kick ‘em Jenny reliable on the mainland, but in the southern Grenadines poses a significantly lower in the Grenadines. significant tsunami risk. The main natural hazards include Of course, like other small island hurricanes and tropical storms, developing states (SIDS), Saint floods, landslides, earthquakes, Vincent and the Grenadines is volcanic eruptions, and drought. also vulnerable to the impacts Hurricane Janet in 1955 is of climate change, including responsible for the single largest changes in temperature and number of people killed in such precipitation, intensified events, 122 persons. Hurricane hydro-meteorological events Tomas in 2010 was recorded as and associated hazards, and the country’s most costly hazard sea level rise. event with damages of EC $130 million, 2 persons injured and about 6,100 affected. The low-lying Grenadines are especially exposed to associated storm surge and wave hazards. Floods are the most frequent hazard, especially on the CCDRM Fund Projects in St. Vincent & The Grenadines The CCDRMF has received thirteen (13) project applications from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Of these, two (2) community-based projects were approved and successfully implemented. These projects support disaster risk management through improved emergency communication and drought adaptation. Rainbow Radio League Whilst the project was being implemented, the elements that The network of radio operators in the had already been installed were Rainbow Radio League provide the well tested by Hurricane Tomas. National Emergency Operations Centre Having been put to the test under with information from affected areas to extreme conditions, all retrofitted inform decisions and plan effective stations remained on air during and response strategies during disasters. Prior after the storm, when there was no to this project, reliability of communications electricity island wide. Unfortunately, for an extended period following any three of the wind turbines were disaster was non-existent because radios damaged, but the RE equipment already placed in vulnerable communities installed in the remote village of did not have a reliable means of re-charging Fancy proved its value. The village batteries if electricity was disrupted. was without phones, electricity or The project equipped nine vulnerable, water for 4 days following ‘Tomas’, rural communities across the multi-island and operator Elna Michael was the state with independent emergency only voice from Fancy letting the communications equipment and renewable rest of the world know what had energy (RE) systems (wind and solar), thus occurred in that village, thanks to enabling a reliable flow of information the RE equipment installed just to/from these communities. They have also months earlier. When no other increased coverage with an improved buildings had electricity, the Fancy antenna and RE at the repeater site as well Government School, which serves as as better antennas at existing stations. The an emergency shelter, and houses the antennas now allow communication with project’s emergency communications Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada equipment, was the only building with and Barbados. Twenty (20) VHF/UHF functioning lights and HF/SSB radio. handheld transceivers have significantly Fortunately the antennas withstood enhanced the ability to get information the strong winds during ‘Tomas’ directly from affected areas to other critical agencies in the quickest possible time in the aftermath of any disruptive event, especially when phone lines are damaged or out of service. 3 Saint Vincent