UN OCHA and UNDRR | Eastern Caribbean: Situational Awareness Overview (SAO) (January 2023)

Executive Summary

The Situational Awareness Overview (SAO) Report analysis of trends informs planning, strengthen collective advocacy and improve emergency response preparedness. The analysis covers the period 2000 present in the 10 countries and territories covered by the UNRCO for Barbados and the OECS.

The analysis was conducted by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC), OCHA Barbados Humanitarian Advisory Team, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster and Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

Data collection was done using the Data Entry and Exploration Platform (DEEP) with consultative support received from United Nations Emergency Technical Team (UNETT) members, regional institutions, civil society organisations (CSOs), NGOs and academic institutions.

The SAO aims at providing a solid base for the development of preliminary impact analyses, feed into development of humanitarian funding appeals and response plans e.g. (CERF, Flash Appeals, Emergency Cash Grants) and support the update process of contingency plans.

The report consists of three main sections:

• Situation Overview: Explores the socioeconomic landscape, access to services, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and sector based and thematic issues with humanitarian implications.

• Shocks and their impacts: Includes section on climate change and variability; storms and floods; volcanoes; earthquakes and drought. Case studies of standout events (e.g. 2017 hurricane season, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines volcanic eruption, drought in Antigua and Barbuda).

• Emergency Response Preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR): Highlights coordination mechanisms, logistical challenges, information gaps, DRR best practices and lessons learnt.

The report is further divided in subsections, including an analysis of the demographic and social context, economic context, social protection systems and vulnerable groups. Furthermore, the section on shocks and their impacts uses case studies of standout events (e.g. Soufriere Hills eruption in Montserrat, Hurricane Irma and Maria, La Soufrière eruption in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) and provides information on futures trends and projections.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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