SUPPORTING RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE IN June 2022 ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES Addressing compound hazards through strengthened resilient recovery and emergency preparedness and response activities AT A GLANCE Country: St. Vincent and the Grenadines Risks: Volcanic eruption, multi-hazard GFDRR Areas of Engagement: Enabling resilient recovery Ash cloud from the La Soufrière volcano. Photo: CDEMA. Abstract Investments in disaster preparedness and response are guiding St. Vincent and the Grenadines to a resilient recovery from the eruption of La Soufrière volcano. Context/Introduction In April 2021, St. Vincent and the Grenadines experienced a significant volcanic event when La Soufrière—an active volcano that dominates the island of St. Vincent—erupted. A series of eruptions ejected dense hot ash, lava fragments, and toxic gases from the volcano, displacing over 23,000 people and causing damage to housing, public infrastructure, and agriculture worth up to $154 million, or 18 percent of the Approach national GDP for 2020. The first step on the road to resilient recovery is to address The eruption also had a disruptive impact on public health, the immediate needs of the most vulnerable communities. as evacuations were made complicated by the COVID-19 In this regard, the work carried under the EU CRRBF and crisis. This required extra precautions to avoid outbreaks the Canada CRF has been instrumental in restoring critical in shelters and in neighboring countries that agreed to services and communicating essential information to take in evacuees, and by affected communities’ prolonged populations impacted by the eruption. For example, in the exposure to volcanic gases. The eruption occurred just two first days following the initial eruption, a concerted effort was months before the official start of the 2021 hurricane season, made to warn communities of the potential harmful impacts presenting a series of compounding challenges for the of volcanic ash. A series of public service announcement government to contend with. videos and radio broadcasts, expert interviews on local media, In anticipation of the steep costs associated with rapid and safety tips and guidelines broadcast via social media response, the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines were rapidly produced in coordination with the National (GoSVG) took swift measures to comprehensively assess Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) to provide and strengthen their infrastructural capacities for disaster useful information on ways to safely interact with ash and response and recovery. The GoSVG undertook these protect family members, homes, and vehicles. measures in coordination with two programs managed by The eruption of La Soufrière also catalyzed the GoSVG to the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery critically examine its capacities for emergency preparedness (GFDRR): the European Union (EU)-funded Caribbean and response based on its experience in responding to the Regional Resilience Building Facility (CRRBF) and the eruption. With the help of its international partners, the Canada-Caribbean Resilience Facility (CRF), funded with GoSVG, and in particular NEMO, has undertaken a thorough support from the government of Canada. These programs, diagnostic process to determine the adequacy of current legal which complement each other, both aim to enhance long- and institutional frameworks, human resources, operational term disaster resilience and adaptation capacity for the most facilities and equipment, and information management vulnerable countries in the Caribbean. systems. As part of the effort to address some of the gaps CARIBBEAN REGIONAL RESILIENCE BUILDING FACILITY A partnership funded by Managed by RESULTS IN RESILIENCE SERIES identified, NEMO is receiving support in developing a new Volcanic ash on a village in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Photo: Kirk Morris. Emergency Shelter Management policy, which includes advice on COVID-19 protocols as well as a training program and manual for shelters—the National Emergency and Shelter Management Plan training program and the Assistance Guidelines manual—which are both still in development. Resilient recovery also depends on the protection of key infrastructure assets and the rapid restoration of critical services such as water, energy, and transportation after a disaster. The GoSVG has recognized the resilience of key infrastructure as a high priority in its disaster risk management policy and is directly implementing a project that supports investments in the rapid restoration and resilient reconstruction of priority infrastructure. In this regard, the EU-funded CRRBF is co-financing the $40 million World Bank Volcanic Eruption Emergency Project (VEEP) with a $2 million grant that focuses on improving the capacities of the government to systematically prepare for and respond to compound emergencies following an eruption. To LESSONS LEARNED complement this effort, the CRF is providing GoSVG with The post-eruption analytical work on emergency technical experts to aid support the implementation of VEEP. preparedness and response capacities can be further leveraged to inform the country’s efforts to Highlighted Results build a multi-hazard resilience strategy to prepare An } effective emergency communications campaign: for compound emergencies, such as hurricanes, Immediately after the eruption of La Soufrière, NEMO was flooding, and the continuing impacts of COVID-19. able to publish a series of videos to build awareness about the harmful effects of volcanic ash. These videos (Breathing While different programs that share the goal of Ash, Protect Home, and Local Calypsonian) were then disseminated via local media and social media channels. responding to the eruption can create the risk of Additional information on CRF activities highlights that redundant work, the coordination displayed by support to the government in the post-disaster recovery is the different GFDRR-funded activities in St. Vincent aimed at handling future crises. and the Grenadines has led to the projects complementing each other, each focusing on Institutional } strengthening for improved recovery: different aspects of the post-eruption recovery. Institutional support provided to the GoSVG has been instrumental in guiding recovery efforts—for instance, through developing and validating a new Emergency Shelter Management policy. Through the CRF, GFDRR has provided essential support to the government to strengthen “We are very grateful to the Global Facility for effective institutional systems and public financial Disaster Reduction and Recovery, the EU and management for preparation and response to disasters. Canada for their support on these different Investment } opportunities for resilient reconstruction components which has allowed us to build our and emergency preparedness and response capacity: capacity, focus on meeting our goals under the The $40 million World Bank Volcanic Eruption Emergency Sendai Framework, and also on our national Project (VEEP), which was co-financed with $2 million from Programs aiming to increase the resilience of the EU-funded CRRBF is a major milestone and support St. Vincent and the Grenadines.” provided with core technical experts from the CRF is a —Michelle Forbes, Director of the National Emergency Management Organisation testament to the GFDRR’s ability to leverage additional (NEMO), St. Vincent and the Grenadines capacities and support its partners. CARIBBEAN REGIONAL RESILIENCE BUILDING FACILITY A partnership funded by Managed by RESULTS IN RESILIENCE SERIES