Review and Systematization of Disaster Preparedness Experiences in Urban Areas In the Caribbean Region

Oxfam’s portfolio of urban disaster risk reduction projects in the Caribbean region are at the forefront of current practice. They offer an opportunity to review outputs, practice and lessons learned for Oxfam and the wider DRR community. This report aims to take that opportunity. Specifically it presents a review of DRR work in four urban contexts:

• Inner-city settlements in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic (Intermón Oxfam projects 2007-currrent) with The European Commission
• Peri-urban settlements around Georgetown, Guyana (Oxfam projects 2006-2009) with The European Commission
• The municipality of Cap-Haitien, Haiti (Oxfam projects between 2003 and 2009) with The European Commission
• Metropolitan region of Port au Prince, Haiti (Oxfam projects from 2006-current) with Government of Haiti/World Bank.

This summary provides an overview of key findings. The structure presents comments on the methodology used in the review, outcomes, interaction with local government and populations at risk, gender equity, challenges and opportunities for disaster risk reduction specific to urban contexts and an assessment of the sustainability of project outcomes. Finally lessons learned relevant to urban disaster risk reduction more generally are put forward