Commonwealth of Dominica Disaster Risk Reduction Country Profile September 2014 Office for Disaster Management (ODM) Dominica National coordination: Office for Disaster Management (ODM) Don Corriette, National Disaster Coordinator Steve Joseph, Programme Officer Regional coordination: Sandra Amlang (UNISDR) Alexcia Cooke (UNISDR) Author: Amonia Paul-Rolle Cover page design: Maria Camila García Ruiz This document covers humanitarian aid activities implemented with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of the European Union, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. ECHO UNISDR European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Civil Protection department Reduction Regional office for the Caribbean Regional office for the Americas Santo Domingo, República Dominicana Ciudad del Saber (Clayton), Panamá Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] URL: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/ URL: http://www.eird.org/ http://www.dipecholac.net/ http://www.unisdr.org/americas Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 5 1. Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... 8 2. International and Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Context ......................................... 9 3. National Context ................................................................................................... 12 3.1 Physical Environment .......................................................................................................................... 12 3.1.1. Geographic location ........................................................................................................................ 12 3.1.2 Physiography ....................................................................................................................................... 12 3.1.3 Climate ............................................................................................................................................ 13 3.2 Socio-Economic Context .......................................................................................................................... 14 3.2.1 Population and demographics ............................................................................................................ 14 3.2.2 The economy ....................................................................................................................................... 16 3.2.3 Poverty and unemployment ............................................................................................................... 18 3.2.4 Most vulnerable groups ....................................................................................................................... 20 3.3 Governance Structure ................................................................................................................................... 22 3.3.1 Political structure and organisation ...................................................................................................... 22 3.3.2. Local Government and levels of decentralisation .................................................................................. 23 3.3.3. Coordination mechanisms between State and non- governmental actors .................................... 24 3.4 Development Context .......................................................................................................................... 25 3.4.1 National development objectives ........................................................................................................... 25 4. The Country’s Disaster Risk Reduction Legal, Normative and Institutional Profile ......... 28 4.1 Legal Framework .......................................................................................................................................... 28 4.1.1 Constitution ........................................................................................................................................ 28 4.1.2 Laws and legally binding provisions .................................................................................................... 28 4.2. Normative Framework ................................................................................................................................... 29 4.2.1 Normative instruments for disaster risk reduction technical and political decision making ............. 29 4.2.2 Public Policies ...................................................................................................................................... 34 4.3 Institutional framework .................................................................................................................................. 34 4.3.1 Organization of the national system and mechanisms at all levels ........................................................ 34 4.3.2 National plans and their implementation ............................................................................................... 35 5. The State of DISASTER RISK in the Country .................................................................. 38 5.1 Historical disaster analysis .............................................................................................................................. 38 5.2 Hazards / Threats ............................................................................................................................................ 39 2 5.3 Emergencies affecting Public Health and Safety ..................................................................................... 47 5.3. Vulnerability .................................................................................................................................................. 51 5.3.1. Analytical criteria and methodology ...................................................................................................... 51 5.3.2. Components of vulnerability .................................................................................................................. 51 5.4. Capacities ..................................................................................................................................................... 57 5.4.1. Analytical criteria and methodology ...................................................................................................... 57 5.4.2. Institutional and coordination mapping ................................................................................................ 57 5.4.3. Mapping of disaster risk reduction programmes, initiatives and plans ................................................. 58 5.4.4. Tool inventory ........................................................................................................................................ 60 5.5. Reduction of underlying risk factors ...................................................................................................... 60 6. Disaster Risk Analysis of the Country ......................................................................... 60 6.1. Definition of analytical criteria and methodology ............................................................................. 60 7. STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN DOMINICA .. 62 7.1 Categories and relevance of the criteria ........................................................................................................ 63 7.2. Definition of risk scenarios ....................................................................................................................... 64 7.3. Prioritization of risk scenarios and areas for intervention ................................................................ 65 8. Conclusions and Recommendations ........................................................................... 77 9. Annexes of this guide .................................................................................................. 82 Annex 1: Glossary of Terms .................................................................................................................................. 82 Annex 2 - List of Acronyms ................................................................................................................................... 86 Annex 3 - List of Social Protection Programmes ................................................................................................... 88 References .......................................................................................................................................................... 91 3 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Drivers of Risks and poverty outcomes ............................................................. 11 Figure 2. Map of Dominica and location in the Caribbean ................................................ 12 Figure 3. Sargassum seaweed floating on the sea and lying on the Beach at Thibaud ....... 14 Figure 4. Dominica Population by Age and Sex, 2011 ...................................................... 15 Figure 5. Dominica Population by Parish, 2001 and 2011 ................................................ 15 Figure 6. Structure of Dominica's Economy .....................................................................