The Caribbean region of Latin America, renowned worldwide for its picturesque landscapes and vibrant culture, serves as a popular tourist destination. However, its geographical position within the Atlantic hurricane belt significantly increases its vulnerability to natural disasters, particularly hurricanes.
This region returned to the headlines in late June and early July this year due to the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Beryl which seriously impacted countries that have previously suffered including Martinique, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Barbados, and Jamaica. This has resulted in significant damage to infrastructure and will disrupt food supplies in the coming months. Hurricane Beryl also generated substantial storms in Central America, southern Mexico, and parts of the United States.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Grenada, were the most severely affected countries, with around 3,000 individuals being displaced to shelters and 1,000 people affected by the disruption to basic services. In the United States, the hurricane resulted in a death toll of 36 in Texas and caused power outages for approximately 3 million people. The National Weather Service in the United States reported that Hurricane Beryl was the earliest category 5 storm ever recorded, making it a most significant concern.
The increasing strength of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean can be attributed to several weather conditions which, when combined with the El Niño phenomenon, has led a number of meteorological records being broken in terms of intensity. According to the United Nations Emergency Technical Team and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the damage has affected food supplies, food prices, crops, and school infrastructure in the countries struck by the hurricane.
Hurricane season in the Caribbean – what is it exactly?
The Caribbean hurricane season typically spans from June to November, with the peak occurring between August and October, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.
During this period, the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea create favorable conditions for the formation of tropical storms and hurricanes. Countries such as Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Dominica are frequently affected by these powerful storms which can also sometimes reach Florida in the United States.
In recent years, hurricanes have had devastating effects on these nations. Hurricane Maria, which struck Puerto Rico in September 2017, caused widespread destruction, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths and leaving the island in a prolonged state of emergency with damages estimated to be US$90 billion.
In the same month, Hurricane Irma struck the Caribbean and damaged 90% of the buildings in Dominica and Barbuda. Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm that hit the Bahamas in September 2019, was one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, causing significant loss of life and property.
Luca Renda, a member of the UN mission to rebuild Dominica after Hurricane Irma, likened the devastating scenes to those of a warzone, with damaged infrastructure and people facing the trauma of experiencing the massive storms and their aftermath.
Huge financial losses
The economic, social, and environmental losses inflicted by these hurricanes are staggering but challenging to quantify as they include not only numerical data but also the profound suffering and impact faced by the population.
For example, the destruction of road infrastructures, power lines, homes, and businesses disrupts economic activities leading to substantial financial losses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency of the USA calculated the losses resulting from the impact of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico to be approximately US$90 billion which is equivalent to the island’s entire annual GDP.
Hurricane Dorian caused an estimated US$3.4 billion in damages in the Bahamas which is equivalent to 25% the country’s GDP and its lasting effects will impact the country’s economy for years to come, according to the International Development Bank.
Millions displaced, health facilities unavailable
Hurricanes also bring about a multitude of social challenges by displacing thousands, disrupting educational systems, and straining healthcare infrastructure, therefore undoing years of progress that had been made in the development of the nations affected.
In 2017, the Caribbean saw over 3 million people being displaced in one month alone in the wake of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Displacement often leads to long-term housing crises, as seen in Puerto Rico, where thousands of residents remained without permanent housing many years after Hurricane Maria had hit the country.
Health systems become seriously strained, with hospitals and clinics being damaged or destroyed which results in a critical lack of medical services when they are most needed. Dominica suffered catastrophic damage to 100% of its healthcare system as a result of Hurricane Maria which also caused extensive infrastructure damage in Puerto Rico and severely impacting the island’s ability to provide clean water.
Severe environmental damage
Environmentally, these storms inflict serious damage on ecosystems including coral reefs which are crucial for coastal protection and biodiversity but whose effectiveness will continue to be diminished by future storms.
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, the destruction of the mangrove forests that protect coastlines from erosion and provide breeding grounds for fish, has significantly affected both people and wildlife. The loss of these natural defenses exacerbates the vulnerability of coastal communities to future hurricanes. Furthermore, 75% of fruit-bearing trees in the southern areas of the Grenadines and 80% of economic trees and staple crops in Grenada have been destroyed by storms, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Resilience strategies
One key lesson learnt from the devastating impacts of hurricanes is the importance of early warning systems and timely evacuations. The UN-backed initiative, Early Warnings for All, aims to provide universal protection against hydrometeorological and climatological events worldwide. However, while significant progress has been made, further improvements are still needed.
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has been instrumental in improving regional coordination and response efforts. With a mandate to become a key facilitator, coordinator, and driver of Comprehensive Disaster Management across all Participating States of the Caribbean, its functions include mobilizing disaster relief, mitigating disaster consequences, providing coordinated emergency response, disseminating disaster information, and encouraging disaster loss reduction policies and practices.
Mechanisms such as Early Warnings for All and CDEMA together with individual country policies that have been implemented enable effective responses in some cases while highlighting the need for technical skills and cooperation in others. Partnerships with other organizations or countries also present a promising alternative to develop more robust systems and response strategies aimed at mitigating the damages caused by major hurricanes.
To address hurricanes and their impacts, valuable lessons can be learned from other parts of the world. For example, Bangladesh has implemented programs for the construction of permanent shelters and improving storm forecasting in the most vulnerable areas. In Cuba prevention and disaster preparedness are being integrated into school and university curricula in response to the island’s exposure to natural disasters.
Other solutions include allocating “green bonds” to fund risk adaptation and resilience in vulnerable areas which is an effective prevention measure that countries can adopt for hurricane seasons. Raising awareness among the population about these events will enhance accountability and improve responses to these challenging situations.
These strategies aim to reduce future damage and strengthen the resilience of communities. The integration of risk reduction and prevention measures into national development plans has been prioritized as a crucial aspect of the development agenda. Countries such as Dominica, Grenada, Barbados, and Jamaica which all suffered extensive damage from previous hurricanes have committed to becoming climate-resilient nations, investing in sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy sources to reduce their vulnerability.
According to Ko Barrett, Deputy Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, countries and leading international actors must be particularly vigilant this year due to the unique meteorological conditions of 2024 which could lead to increased storm formations in the Caribbean and therefore early warning systems will become crucial.
