Natural Disasters and Climate Change Indi Mclymont-Lafayette Panos Caribbean

Natural Disasters  Caribbean prone to:  Earthquakes  Floods  Droughts  Hurricanes –  Volcanos  landslides

Hurricanes  The North Atlantic region, within which the Caribbean is situated, is prone to hurricanes every year. Hurricanes derive their power from the heat created by warm tropical waters and can form when the sea temperature reaches 80°  The hurricane season spans from June 1st to November 30th.  In 2010, Hurricane Tomas hit the region and killed 14 in St. Lucia. Haiti has the highest cyclone risk index of all the small island developing states – that means Haiti is most likely to get hit by Hurricanes than most other Caribbean islands  Scientists have also reported that the mean number of hurricanes in the Caribbean has increased from 8 to 14 since 1995  J$16 billion worth of losses for Jamaica  Read more: Cause & Effect of Natural Disasters in the Caribbean | eHow.com & Effect of Natural Disasters in the Caribbean | eHow.comhttp://

Landslides  Landslides can stem from a variety of factors, including hurricanes, torrential rains, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In the Caribbean, landslides can occur as rockfalls with material falling off mountain ranges. These rockfalls can block roads located below and drop rocks on homes and people. Landslides can also cause mud flows. Read more: Cause & Effect of Natural Disasters in the Caribbean | eHow.com caribbean.html#ixzz2AesC2SftCause & Effect of Natural Disasters in the Caribbean | eHow.com caribbean.html#ixzz2AesC2Sft

Earthquakes  The islands of the Caribbean are situated within the vicinity of two tectonic plates: the North American plate and the Caribbean plate. As a result, the region's seismic activity is rated moderate to severe, with a major earthquake occurring approximately every 50 years. An earthquake on June 7th, 1692, completely destroyed the pirate haven known as Port Royal, Jamaica. And on January 12th, 2010, a 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, killing 230,000. Read more: Cause & Effect of Natural Disasters in the Caribbean | eHow.com caribbean.html#ixzz2Aeq1WhU9Cause & Effect of Natural Disasters in the Caribbean | eHow.com caribbean.html#ixzz2Aeq1WhU9

Volcanos  Caribbean islands were created through volcanic eruptions. Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saba, St. Lucia and St. Vincent form a volcanic arc in the region. While many volcanoes are dormant, some remain active. There is one active underwater volcano located just offshore from Grenada. Depending on their severity, volcanic eruptions can cause tsunamis. Such force can wipe out smaller islands. Volcanic eruptions can also cause mud and lava flows, which can also cause death and destruction. Read more: Cause & Effect of Natural Disasters in the Caribbean | eHow.com caribbean.html#ixzz2AerFQ8v5Cause & Effect of Natural Disasters in the Caribbean | eHow.com caribbean.html#ixzz2AerFQ8v5

CC and Disasters  Theme song  CC exacerbates disaster risks  Germanwatch in its 2009 Global Risk Index ranks countries according to how severely they have been affected by weather-related loss events such as hurricanes and floods.  Out of an analysis of almost 150 countries1, six Caribbean Islands were ranked as  Climate change “HOT SPOTS” as follows:  Dominican Republic – 12th  Haiti - 16th  Martinique – 24th  Dominica – 25th  Saint Lucia – 27th  Jamaica - 34th  This analysis by the Global Risk Index proves that Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are especially vulnerable to Climate Change

The message and its challenges More droughts More floods More landslides More sea-level rise More coral damage More, and more intense hurricanes

Climate Predictions More dengue and water-borne illnesses Greater and increasing uncertainty Health concerns – dehydration, food poisoning, diarrhea, asthma, etc. Interrupted oil supply – increased gas prices Anarchy – ex. looting, rape

So what?  Need for more cohesive long term planning  Adaptation – in Jamaica, government has 3 major climate projects – Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience, Adaptation Fund Project and EU/UNEP project CCADRR project  Disaster Response is key:

Panos work  Canadian Disaster Risk Management Fund Project in Jamaica – creating a pilot early warning system for the disabled in Portmore, St Catherine. Disabled often forgotten in disaster response  Macarthur Project on integrating climate change and biodiversity issues into post earthquake Haiti – working with 5 vulnerable communities, youth etc

CEPF project  Aims to strengthen the capacity of civil society stakeholders (media, CEPF grantees and their beneficiaries as well as other key environmental stakeholders) to) and government agencies in 11 target Caribbean countries to use communication to enhance the protection of endemic, threatened and locally important species, assist in sustainable management of key biodiversity areas (KBA) and relevant conservation corridors

CEPF  Activities:  1) Baselines – The project will start off with the development of baselines in four countries (Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines).  2) Database – A database relating to the communication and advocacy capacity of NGOs and media, in all 11 countries will also be established with the basic institutional information of all NGOs and media houses in the eleven countries in a searchable format

CEPF  3) Workshops for NGOs, and media on communication, information production, networking and knowledge sharing (best practices) – three workshops:(One in the DR and one in Haiti; one in Jamaica with participants from the Bahamas  4) Journalistic fellowships – (4 – one per key target country – Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and St Vincent). The fellows will be provided with a stipend to visit and report on issues, conservation outcomes, best practices and the importance of and threats to KBAs. Sites and host organizations selected for these fellowships will reflect priorities identified in the CEPF strategy

Take away messages  Preparing your media house for more frequent disasters – protecting your equipment, insurance for your equipment – back up plan for damage to transmitters  Training your staff to report more on disasters and deal with the impacts  Public education on climate change and disasters across the region

Food for thought  Treatment availability for Traumatised Broadcasters – Media policy re this  Media Disaster Policy…

That’s it!  Thanks for listening