The Caribbean Regional Representation Office (CRRO) of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation) has started a project aimed at “Improving the preparedness of Caribbean communities to respond to disasters affecting their locality.”

The project is funded by the European Union’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), the American Red Cross, the Finnish Red Cross, the ProVention Consortium and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The main beneficiaries are the inhabitants of highly vulnerable communities in the Caribbean region. This programme aims to work with and for these communities to better enable them to understand the hazards in their environment, to adopt behaviours that will make their homes safer and to prepare for disasters through the development of Community Disaster Response Teams (CDRTs). The programme will work in two communities in each of the following three Caribbean countries: Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas and Suriname.

These countries have been selected by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation) and the Caribbean’s Disaster Management Network, using selection criteria including the vulnerability of the country and the capacity of its National Societies (NSs) Two of the communities most vulnerable to disasters and natural hazards will be identified in each country.

At least 12,000 community members will potentially benefit directly and indirectly in the six communities from Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname.

At a national level, strategic partnerships are being formed between Red Cross societies, their governments and NGOs, to better integrate Red Cross activities in the country’s national disaster management systems. Internal Red Cross response capacity is being enhanced with the rolling out of standardized National Intervention Team (NIT) trainings to Caribbean Red Cross societies in the region. These trainings prepare Red Cross staff and volunteers to manage disaster response activities, working hand-in-hand with their national disaster response agencies to conduct damage and needs assessments, develop plans of action and provide live-saving assistance.

At the community level, Red Cross volunteers conduct in-depth Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments (VCA) with communities using a participatory appraisal methodology. Communities identify their own vulnerabilities and capacities, and also identify small-scale mitigation projects to address their risk. Funding is provided for one of these projects and communities are mobilized to implement necessary activities. National Societies use basic national level criteria such as poverty, impact from recent disasters, and at-risk population, to determine which communities to intervene in. This information is considered along with internal organizational criteria such as previous work or presence in the community, as well as interest and motivation of community members. Government, NGO and other stakeholders’ assessments are also included in the analysis.  

To strengthen community response mechanisms, Red Cross volunteers work with local government to organize CDRTs. CDRT members are trained in areas such as first aid, basic search and rescue, psychological first-aid, response coordination, and shelter management. CDRT’s are taught how to develop community disaster response plans, family plans, define the roles and responsibilities of community members, monitor early warning systems, and identify evacuation routes and safe areas. Emergency response kits are provided to CDRT’s for emergency use, and simulation exercises conducted to practice life-saving skills.

CDRT’s are also empowered to spread community based disaster management (CBDM) messages to the wider community. Community training materials such as the “Better Be Ready” series, which provide guidance on best practices for risk reduction, are being disseminated. CBDM serves as a keystone of disaster risk reduction and works to strengthen the communities’ ability to recognize and proactively reduce their own vulnerability to disasters, and to respond in a rapid and coordinated manner when disaster strikes.