DISASTER-PROOFINGHow a Small Caribbean Island Is Trying to Become Hurricane-Proof
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the Caribbean and for small islands such as Dominica (not to be confused with the much larger Dominican Republic) it is an existential threat. Unlike larger islands like Cuba or Jamaica, a single storm hitting Dominica can damage the entire country – and the topography and small size of the island imposes hard limits on its ability to adapt.
When Hurricane Maria struck the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica in 2017, it caused the kind of devastation which is unthinkable to larger countries. The Category 5 hurricane damaged 98% of building roofs and caused US$1.2 billion (£950 million) in damage. Dominica effectively lost 226% of its GDP overnight.
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the Caribbean and for small islands such as Dominica (not to be confused with the much larger Dominican Republic) it is an existential threat.
Unlike larger islands like Cuba or Jamaica, a single storm hitting Dominica can damage the entire country– with its mountainous terrain and steep slopes everywhere, most of the country is prone to either landslides or flooding. The topography and small size of the island imposes hard limits on its ability to adapt.
That’s why Dominica ranked 11th most at risk out of 150 countries in the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index, based on an analysis of extreme weather between 2000 and 2019.
Reeling from Hurricane Maria, the island’s prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit set the bold ambition of becoming the first climate-resilient nation. In Dominica’s case, this means being able to handle more intense hurricanes and more frequent flooding.
There was no “climate blueprint” to pick up and follow – it had to be created from scratch. Dominica developed a clear set of targets and a roadmap, combining everything from building design to nature-based power sources and climate resilient crop systems.
I am a climate resilience researcher with particular expertise in small island developing states. Over the years I have worked with Pacific islands threatened by rising seas and Caribbean countries devastated by hurricanes.
In 2019, I was brought in to serve as an adviser to Dominica’s newly established climate resilience agency. I helped draft the country’s climate resilience plan and in early 2023 went back to film a documentary Climate Blueprint: Dominica.
In the film, some of the architects of the country’s climate resilience strategy explain how Dominica is building back better and stronger in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. They reveal four critical principles.
Buy-in from Everyone
Government must work across silos and no single agency or department can be responsible for building resilience. It is about agriculture, housing, roads and critically – because Dominica has more than 300 rivers – bridges.