## Dominica Develops Resilience

_IMF News, November 4, 2021_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Dominica Develops Resilience](https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2021/10/27/na110221-dominica-develops-resilience)

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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: Steven Dorst November
- Published: November 4, 2021

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### Context and climate risk
- Dominica is described as lying "smack in the middle of Hurricane Alley."
- The country has a rugged topography with dense mountain rain forests and nine active volcanoes.
- Most of the country’s 72,000 denizens live along the coast—vulnerable to strong winds, high seas, and landslides.
- The situation has become increasingly volatile with the growing frequency and severity of extreme climate events.

### Impact of Hurricane Maria and economic costs
- In 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Maria caused widespread destruction:
  - Whole communities, government buildings, roads and bridges, and power and water services were damaged or destroyed.
  - The storm resulted in the loss of lives and $1.2 billion in damage in just a few hours.
- After Maria, Dominica faced damages totaling 226 percent of GDP.
- Rebuilding to climate-resilient standards would cost 25 percent more than traditional methods.
- Benefits from resilience investments materialize only over time, complicating financing decisions.

### Response, strategy, and visible benefits
- Post-Maria priorities shifted to "building back better" and becoming a more resilient nation.
- The IMF worked with Dominica to:
  - Understand the probability and intensity of natural disasters.
  - Assess the costs and benefits of building to new resilience standards.
- The government launched a framework and strategy aiming to make Dominica the world's first nation resilient to hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.
- Examples demonstrating the business case for resilience:
  - The airport, inoperable after 2015 Tropical Storm Erika, was operational a few days after Hurricane Maria due to prior resilience measures.
  - Communities rebuilt to new resilience standards remained intact after the storm.

### Priority investments and measures
- Efforts are focused on:
  - Upgrading and expanding the road network, including making bridges higher to allow for water and debris overflow.
  - Building resilience into the housing sector.
  - Upgrading hospitals and health centers.
  - Supporting resilient agriculture for food security.
  - Education, reforestation, and community preparedness training.

### Equity and international implications
- Dominica, as a small island state that did not cause global warming, is suffering consequences and bearing adaptation costs disproportionately.
- The government and Climate Resilience Execution Agency for Dominica emphasize that international support is needed: "If we want to make a meaningful contribution to helping small states adapt to climate change, then the international community needs to step up."

### Attribution
- By Steven Dorst, November 4, 2021. This article first appeared in the most recent issue of Finance & Development Magazine produced in conjunction with COP26.

*Source: Dominica Develops Resilience (IMF News).*

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## References

- [https://www.imf.org/en/News/country-focus](https://www.imf.org/en/News/country-focus)
- [PRESS CENTER](http://presscenter.imf.org/)
- [Finance & Development Magazine](https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/index.htm)
- [Dominica and the IMF](https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/DMA)
- [Dominica’s Disaster Resilience Strategy](https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2021/08/11/Dominica-Disaster-Resilience-Strategy-463663)
- [Regional Economic Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean, October 2021](https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/REO/WH/Issues/2021/10/21/Regional-Economic-Outlook-October-2021-Western-Hemisphere)
- [and the cost of adapting](https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2021/09/climate-change-what-is-mitigation-and-adaptation-behsudi-basics.htm)
- [https://www.imf.org/en/home](https://www.imf.org/en/home)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2021/10/27/na110221-dominica-develops-resilience_