Located in the warm waters of the Eastern Caribbean, Dominica is no stranger to tropical storms and hurricanes. Yet Hurricane Maria, which battered Dominica last September, was unlike anything the island nation had ever seen. Packing winds of over 160 miles per hour, the Category 5 hurricane claimed the lives of 30 people and caused total damages and losses exceeding US$1.3 billion.
Determined to build back better and become the world’s first climate-resilient nation, the Government of Dominica, in partnership with the World Bank, has set in motion a resilient recovery plan. The plan’s key priorities include helping farmers adopt climate-smart practices and encouraging resilient building practices in the housing sector.
“Dominica still has a long way to go in its reconstruction efforts nearly a year on, but the country is now on a steady path to recovery,” says Lucien Blackmoore, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Housing and Lands of the Commonwealth of Dominica.
Check out our video interview with Mr. Blackmoore from the 2018 Understanding Risk Forum, hosted by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the World Bank, to learn more about Dominica’s path to resilient recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
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