DOMINICA: HURRICANE RESPONSE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION

SITUATION REPORT NO. 16/ 31 SEPTEMBER 2018

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Through efforts made by the government of Dominica, humanitarian actors and other regional and international entities, Dominica is moving full steam ahead in rebuilding mode. In November, the country will celebrate its 40th anniversary of independence and the six-week celebration has already commenced. Patrons appear to be excitedly anticipating the activities ahead. Elections are expected within the next year and supporters of respective political parties are being more vocal on local and social media. The environment proves to be peaceful and there no threat of civil unrest is anticipated.

During September, Dominica was placed on “Hurricane Watch” and “Tropical Storm Warning” as a response to the ISAAC storm (Hurricane Isaac was downgraded to a Tropical Storm and eventually dissipated). Two weeks later another Tropical Storm Warning was issued for the system named KIRK, which moved southward toward Saint Lucia and away from Dominica.

The morning after KIRK had made landfall, a tremor was felt across the island, resulting from a 5.6 magnitude quake 108 km ESE of Dominica. Meanwhile, 14 communities still lack official emergency shelters, and several of the named shelters across the island are in need of repair and upgrade.

Some community members who only have limited access to radio stations, have limited opportunities to receive direct official information updates. Thus, the system of communication with these parts of the population should be reviewed systematically and receive support.

Interpretation of official weather updates for the understanding of the general public is poor, and there is a need to monitor the movement or potential movement of increasingly unpredictable systems at shorter periods, to ensure the population is prepared and informed.

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A beneficiary receiving her certificate at a ceremony in St. Joseph. Photo: Dwight Thomas

While the importance of HAM radios for maintaining emergency communication within the island and externally was recognized after the passage of Hurricane Maria one year ago, remedial measures have not yet been put in place. There is also a lack of preparedness for other types of disasters, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

Throughout September, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) continued to assist the government with housing recovery efforts by providing housing repairs and construction and with preparation for the rehabilitation of 12 collective shelters in several communities around the island, improving emergency preparedness and communication, and providing durable solutions for the IDPs still resident in collective shelters. IOM is also developing proposals to support the Youth Development Division to mitigate against migration due to unemployment and lack of opportunities, which affects the youth and the national population by extension.

Beneficiaries at a certification ceremony in St. Joseph. Photo: Dwight Thomas

Burton Vidal of the Salisbury Disaster Committee at the Certification Ceremony. Photo: Dwight Thomas

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A beneficiary in Salisbury signs her completion certificate. CCCM

• IOM has received approval and began to operationalize a project to support emergency preparedness through emergency shelter, with funding from the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).

• Under this project, IOM has started a collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Resilience, Disaster Management and Urban Renewal, the local Government Department, the Office of Disaster Management and the involved communities to prepare for rehabilitation work on 12 previously identified emergency shelters around Dominica.

• IOM will coordinate with the Local Government Department to ascertain which of the emergency shelters still house IDPs. With the support of the global DTM team, IOM will conduct a survey to determine their status and identify the opportunities to arrange durable shelter solutions for those in collaboration with the government.

• A “Dominica Collective Shelter Manual” will be developed as the basis for a policy, and training provided in CCCM to 150 Shelter Managers in collaboration with the OFDA training capacity and the Office of Disaster Management in Dominica.

• The program will also provide training on the pre-positioning of non-food items and HAM (VHF) radio training and equipment. With guidance from ODM, IOM continues to place emphasis on formulating and distributing key messages geared towards preparedness for the hurricane season and other possible disasters.

SHELTER

• A total of 678 households or approximately 2,034 individuals have been assisted; 663 roofs have been repaired and 15 t-shelters (core houses) were constructed in the communities of Mero, Dublanc, Woodfordhill, Coulibistrie, Marigot, Wesley, Calibishie, Wesley and Mahaut, among others. Funding for IOM Dominica’s operations is provided by DFID, ECHO and Australia Aid, in addition to an in-kind contribution by China Aid distributed through UNDP.

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• DFID and ECHO funded roofing programs closed at the end of September 2018. IOM will continue to repair roofs with other funding sources and plans to expand its t-shelter construction for vulnerable families in the southern village of Grand Bay by taking over what is left of the operation of CARITAS Antilles.

• After a series of certificate ceremonies during the last week of September, IOM confirmed the completed roof repair works in the respective areas, with the assistance of the village council and in the presence of the communities and government representatives. Carpenter teams are currently verifying all finished roofs and made final modification / repairs to comply with the Dominica Building Standards before final handover to the 566 beneficiary families who were assessed at the end of September 2018.

• IOM continues to solicit the assistance of the government of the Commonwealth of Dominica regarding housing repair needs of families who are fostering children or who have specific disability concerns. While repairs have already begun, many of the properties have above average sizes and repair costs, which might delay the completion.

• In partnerships with Habitat for Humanity and the Youth Development Division, 71 individuals from across Dominica have been trained in basic carpentry, including the provisions of the Dom-inica Housing Standards (Building Code). In to-tal, to date 164 Dominicans have been trained in basic carpentry and better building tech-niques by IOM since the start of operations. • IOM employs more than 60 individuals, includ-ing 36 carpenters. Four migrant workers initially contracted in partnership with Habitat for Hu-manity Trinidad and Tobago remain on the island.

IN THE COMMUNITIES

• Stakeholder engagement has intensified in local and other media with achievement of the milestone of 600 repaired roofs and the recognition of one year since Hurricane Maria.

• The IOM Dominica Facebook page is serving as a useful tool for increasing community engagement. The highest performing post in September provided information on household emergency preparedness and gave an update on Hurricane Isaac and Tropical Storm Kirk which were threatening Dominica. The second highest performing post was a link to an article on Dominica News Online headed: “One Year Later…”, in recognition of the one-year mark since Hurricane Maria. The IOM Dominica Facebook page now has 377 likes. 75% of the fans are women and 24% men. 259 have their location set to Dominica. During the month, the page reached 7,500 people, received 850 post engagements and 23 new followers joined the fan base.

CONTACTS:

1 767 245 0658

Cnr Old St & Cork St, third floor

Roseau, Dominica

www.iom.int4

Presentation on IOM being guided by the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. Photo: Dwight Thomas