BELIZE Hurricanes and Earthquakes RISK PROFILE What is a country disaster risk profile? An estimation of the potential economic losses to property caused Snapshot by adverse natural hazards.  Inform disaster risk financing The hurricane risk in Country Disaster Develop key baseline data Belize is more significant Risk Profile Evaluate impact of disasters than the earthquake risk. Applications Promote and inform risk reduction Annual Average Loss (AAL) from hurricanes is Country At-A-Glance US$ 17.9M (1.05% GDP US$ Population Total Building Exposure US$ (Replacement Value) of GDP) and from 1.7 billion 352,000 4.6 billion earthquakes is US$ Population Gross Capital Public 31% 1.4M (0.08% of Urban 44% Stock GDP). Rural 56% Private 69% The Probable Maximum Loss for hurricanes (250 year return period) is US$ 791M (46.6% Two representations of hurricane risk of GDP) and for earthquakes (250 year return period) is US$ 63M AAL (in millions US$) (3.7% of GDP). 1.8-11.4 1.2-1.7 0.5-1.1 Single-family, wood stud- Provinces by ratio (AAL/Province Exposure) wall frame buildings with lowest ratio nnnnn highest ratio plywood/gypsum board sheathing and concrete block, unreinforced masonry Absolute Risk: The larger the circle, the higher the with lime or cement mortar Annual Average Losses that the province could potentially incur over the long term. are buildings incurring the Relative Risk: The darker the color, the higher the largest loss in the long term, ratio of AAL/Province Exposure. The darkest color represents the province of Corozal which has a each accounting for higher proportion of vulnerable structures due to construction types and/or potentially higher approximately 19% hurricane intensity. of the AAL. BELIZE What is at risk? Economic assets such as residential and non- Building Exposure residential buildings are at risk. These assets (in percentage of total) that are exposed to natural disasters are referred n 7.2% to as a country’s Building Exposure. n 7.3-7.7% n 7.8-9.3% The map provides the value of residential and n 9.4-14% non-residential buildings in each province at risk n 15-35% from hurricanes and earthquakes. What are the potential losses in Belize? 1400 1200 1000 The chart shows the estimated potential future losses in Belize that could be caused by hurricanes and earthquakes for a given 800 return period. Millions (US$) 600 400 In 2001, Hurricane Iris struck Belize. If this historical 200 event were to happen in 2015, it would cause a loss Hurricane Iris of US$ 105M, amounting to 6% of GDP. 0 Historical 50 100 250 500 1000 Return period in years n Estimated Losses Due to HURRICANES n Estimated Losses Due to EARTHQUAKES How can hurricane risk be reduced? 50 10 45 9 AAL as a % of exposed value 40 8 Masonry structures are the most AAL as a % of its total 35 7 (risk indicator) prevalent building types in Belize, 30 6 25 5 accounting for over 30% of the total 20 4 building stock. Wood structures, 15 3 however, are the riskiest construction 10 2 5 1 types. 0 0 Adobe Wood Masonry Concrete Critical Other Infrastructure Generalized construction type AAL as a % of total AAL as a % of exposed value To learn more, visit: collaboration.worldbank.org/groups/cdrp or email cdrp@worldbank.org In collaboration with Financed by BELIZE © 2017 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Rights and Permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625; e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org Knowledge Management Lead: Kerri Cox.