Economic Losses From Major Hazards
Economic losses from major hurricanes are particularly shocking for the small economies of the small independent states of the Caribbean. Damage to over 80% of houses in an island is not uncommon. Over the past 3 decades (since 1979), natural hazards have resulted in over 300,000 deaths, over 1M severely damaged or destroyed houses, and over US$40B losses.
If the reported damage from the 2010 Haiti earthquake is excluded, natural hazards in the Caribbean have resulted in over 4,000 deaths, over 700,000 houses severely damaged or destroyed, and over US$30B losses. A principal reason why so much damage occurred was a lack of knowledge on the part of the persons supervising the construction activities.
The larger Caribbean economies, and colonies who receive assistance from their governing countries, normally rebound faster than the smaller economies of small independent Caribbean states. Some of the most vulnerable countries are the relatively small independent nations of the eastern Caribbean. Damage and losses in Caribbean islands from natural hazards over the past three decades is summarised in Annex A.
Most of the houses that typically sustain the most damage are uninsured and occupied by persons with relatively low incomes.
The anticipated impact of Walbrent College is a legacy of responsible building practices in the Caribbean. This is to be achieved by training construction supervisors to direct good quality building practises on residential construction sites. This impact will be measured by the amount of residential building damage that occurs with subsequent natural hazards.
ANNEX A – NATURAL HAZARD LOSSES IN THE CARIBBEAN
| Event | Country | Estimated Reported Damage |
| 2010 Earthquake
|
Haiti | 300,000 dead
105,000 houses destroyed 209,000 houses damaged US$7.9B losses |
| 2010 Tropical Storm Tomas | Barbados | 1,000 houses damaged
US$18.5M (2010) losses |
| 2008 Hurricane Hanna | Haiti | 529 dead
48,000 homeless |
| 2008 Hurricane Gustav | Cuba | 86,000 houses damaged
$2.14B (2011) losses |
| 2008 Hurricane Gustav | Jamaica | 15 deaths
|
| 2008 Hurricane Gustav | Haiti | 77 dead
2,100 houses destroyed 8,150 houses damaged 7,200 homeless |
| 2008 Hurricane Ike | Cuba | 320,000 houses damaged/destroyed
$3B (2008) losses |
| 2008 Hurricane Ike | Haiti | 550 dead
1M homeless |
| 2008 Hurricane Ike | Grant Turk (TCI)
South Caicos (TCI) |
95% houses damaged
$550M (2008) losses |
| 2007 Hurricane Noel | Cuba | 21,000 houses damaged
$500M (2007) |
| 2007 Hurricane Noel | Haiti | 73 deaths
400 houses destroyed 7,500 homeless |
| 2007 Hurricane Noel | Dominican Republic | 24,500 homes damaged.
6,000 houses destroyed. 65,000 homeless |
| 2007 Hurricane Dean | Dominica | $162M (2007)
20% GDP losses |
| 2007 Hurricane Dean | Guadeloupe | $156M (2007) |
| 2007 Hurricane Dean | Haiti | 14 deaths |
| 2007 Hurricane Dean | Jamaica | 3 deaths
3,127 houses damaged, 1,500 of them destroyed. $310M (2007) losses |
| 2007 Hurricane Dean | Martinique | 3 deaths
$679.7M (2007) losses |
| 2007 Hurricane Dean | St Lucia | 1 death
$6.4M (2007) losses |
| 2005 Flood | Guyana | 60% GDP losses |
| 2005 Hurricane Wilma | Bahamas | 1 death
$100M (2005) losses |
| 2005 Hurricane Wilma | Cuba | $700M (2005) losses |
| 2005 Hurricane Wilma | Haiti | 12 deaths
$0.5M (2005) losses |
| 2005 Hurricane Wilma | Jamaica | 1 death
$93.5M (2005) |
| 2005 Huricane Dennis | Cuba | $1.69B (2011) losses |
| 2005 Hurricane Emile | Grenada | 1 dead
16 houses destroyed >200 damaged $113M (2005) losses |
| 2004 Hurricane Ivan | Cuba | $1.4B (2011) losses |
| 2004 Hurricane Ivan | Jamaica | 8% GDP (US$575M) losses |
| 2004 Hurricane Ivan | Grenada | 89% houses destroyed
28 killed 212% GDP (US$889) losses |
| 2004 Hurricane Jeanne | Dominican Republic | 1.7% GDP (US$270M) losses |
| 2003 Hurricane Fabian | Bermuda | 4 deaths
US$550M losses |
| 2002 Hurricane Lili | Cuba | 48,000 houses damaged |
| 2002 Hurricane Lili | Haiti | 1,700 houses damaged
|
| 2002 Hurricane Lili | St Vincent | Hundreds of houses damaged
$40M (2002) losses |
| 2002 Hurricane Lili | Barbados | 600 houses damaged |
| 2002 Hurricane Lili | St Lucia | 4 killed
Hundreds of houses damaged $20M (2002) losses |
| 2001 Hurricane Michelle | Cuba | $2.73B (2011) losses |
| 1999 Hurricane Jose | Antigua & Barbuda | 1 death
500 houses destroyed |
| 1999 Hurricane Irene | Cuba | 4 deaths
27,336 houses damaged 730 houses destroyed |
| 1998 Hurricane George | Cuba | 6 dead
60,475 houses damaged 100,000 homeless $40M (1998) losses |
| 1998 Hurricane George | Dominican Republic | 380 dead
>180,000 homeless $1.2B (1998) losses |
| 1998 Hurricane George | Haiti | 209 dead
167,332 homeless |
| 1998 Hurricane George | Puerto Rico | 72,605 houses damaged
28,005 destroyed $1.9B (1988) losses |
| 1998 Hurricane George | St Kitts | 5 dead
3,000 homeless 80-85% houses damaged (20-25% destroyed) $458M (1998) losses 170% GDP losses |
| 1998 Hurricane George | Antigua | 3 deaths
10-20% houses damaged 3,800 homeless $160M (1998) losses |
| 1998 Hurricane George | St Kitts | 40% GDP losses |
| 1996 Hurricane Hortense | Puerto Rico (US) | 18 deaths
11,463 houses damaged $155M (1996) losses |
| 1995 Hurricane Marilyn | St Thomas (US) | 7 deaths
10,000 homeless 80% houses destroyed $1B (1995) losses |
| 1995 Hurricane Luis
114 MPH gusts |
Sint Maarten (Dutch) | 7 deaths
60% houses damaged or destroyed 100% GDP losses $1.8B (1995) losses |
| 1995 Hurricane Luis
202 mph gusts |
Saint Martin (French) | 2 deaths |
| 1995 Hurricane Luis | Dominica | 1 death
1,000 homeless $47M (1995) losses |
| 1995 Hurricane Luis | Antigua & Barbuda | 3 deaths
>50% houses destroyed 3,200 homeless 65% GDP losses $350M (1995) losses |
| 1992 Hurricane Andrew | Bahamas | 3 dead
800 houses destroyed 1,700 homeless 50% houses $250M (1992) losses |
| 1990 Hurricane Klaus | Martinique | 7 dead
1,500 homeless |
| 1989 Hurricane Hugo | Guadeloupe | 4 deaths
10,000 houses destroyed 35,000 homeless 30% buildings destroyed $880M (1989) losses |
| 1989 Hurricane Hugo | Montserrat | 10 killed
>90% houses destroyed >90% population homeless 200% GDP losses |
| 1989 Hurricane Hugo | St Croix | 2 killed
90% buildings damaged/destroyed $1B (1989) losses |
| 1989 Hurricane Hugo | Puerto Rico | 12 deaths
28,000 homeless >$1B (1989) losses |
| 1989 Hurricane Hugo | Antigua | 1 killed
30% houses damaged |
| 1989 Hurricane Hugo | British Virgin Islands | 30% houses damaged
100 homeless |
| 1988 Hurricane Gilbert | Jamaica | 45 deaths
100,000 houses destroyed 65% GDP $4B (1988) losses |
| 1979 Hurricane David | Martinique | 500 homeless |
| 1979 Hurricane David | Dominican Republic | >2,000 deaths
200,000 homeless $2.8B (2005) losses |
| 1979 Hurricane David | Puerto Rico (US) | 7 deaths |
| 1979 Hurricane David | Dominica | 56 deaths
80% houses destroyed 75% population homeless >100% GDP losses |
| 1970 Hurricane Dorothy | Martinique | 51 deaths
186 houses 700 homeless US$192M (2011) losses |
Sources include:
1. International Disaster Database (http://www.emdat.be/result-country-profile)
2. United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (http://websie.eclac.cl/infest/ajax/cepalstat.asp?carpeta=contenidos&idioma=i)
3. National Newspapers
Walbrent College 