Giving Compass' Take:

• The author offers best practices to improve disaster preparedness and help the affected regions take charge of their own recovery processes.

• How can a focus on climate change strategies provide additional relief in terms of disaster preparedness? 

• Read about how funders can prepare for the 2018 hurricane season. 

For those living in the Caribbean, Central America, and the United States, the trio of major hurricanes began as temperamental neighbors you wished would just move away, but ended up staying much longer, and causing more damage than anyone would have expected. Country recovery estimates that the aftermath of these super storms range in excess of $190 billion, and will likely take years.

Following the brutal storms, the Caribbean Community worked to mobilize international support for its hurricane-ravaged member countries through the CARICOM-United Nations High-Level Pledging Conference: “Building a more Climate Resilient Community.”

The aim was to seek technical assistance and swap debt for investment in climate adaptation strategies.  But this begs the question: How can members who are themselves vulnerable to disaster also have primary responsibility for relief and emergency response efforts?

When disaster strikes, government agencies are just as affected as ordinary citizens, and consequently, may not be able to quickly engage with citizens or neighboring entities to implement recovery. This is particularly the case with fast-moving, megastorms that may hit multiple countries in succession, and restrict the movement of goods and services by air or sea.

Harnessing experience toward improved disaster recovery is key. The practices below would move the Caribbean in the right direction.

  • Engage with other regions
  • Build partnerships with the private sector
  • Strengthen civil defense plans
  • Reconsider how the military intervenes
  • Invest in renewable energy

Now that the hurricane season is over, and a new one looms, the Caribbean has an opportunity to learn from the past and get a head start on preparations for the megastorms of the future. It must make every effort to tap underutilized resources and limit the damage from disasters sure to come.

Read the full article about preparing for hurricanes in the future by Magda Theodate at Devex International Development