PAHO/WHO Response to Hurricane Iris in Belize

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PAHO/WHO Response to Hurricane Iris in Belize

• A case study of a post-disaster rehabilitation
  project.

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Contents

• Introduction
• Hurricane Iris
• Rapid Health Assessment
• Project Formulation
• Water
• Sanitation
• Health Centres
• The case of the Trio water system
• Lessons Learned

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Introduction

• Belize
• Area - 8, 867 square miles
• Population - 250,000
• Main ethnic groups - Mestizo, Creole, Maya,
  Garífuna
• Political - Independence 1981, parliamentary
  system
• Economy - sugar, citrus, bananas, tourism
• Main Threats
• Hurricane (3 in the last 5 years)
• Floods
• Forest Fires

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Hurricane Iris

• October 8, 2001
• Category IV (145 mph)
• 19ft. tidal surge
• 22 dead
• 20,000 displaced
• 48 communities affected
• Homes, schools, health centres damaged
• Significant environmental damage - agriculture

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Rapid Health Assessment

• Carried out as outlined in National Hurricane
  Disaster Management Plan.
• Emergency mobile teams provide essential services
  and conduct needs assessment.
• Initial aerial assessment carried out.
• Daily health facility surveillance
• Daily shelter surveillance
• Environmental health assessment

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Project Formulation

• Preliminary report (based on Rapid Health Needs
  Assessment) prepared Oct. 9th (one day after the
  storm).
• International appeal launched on Oct. 10th
• By October 12th several donors had pledged
  contributions. (ECHO, OFDA, DFID)
• Project areas water, sanitation, vector control,
  food safety, health services/facilities,
  epidemiological surveillance, posttraumatic
  stress, disaster response capacity.
• Strategy implementation at local level in
  co-ordination with the national level, with
  community participation.

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Water

• water quality testing equipment and reagents for
  the Public Health Bureau
• water tanks distributed during the emergency
  period
• 48 tanks (600 gal.) installed permanently in 20
  affected rural communities
• mitigation measures (secure base, hurricane
  strapping)
• dual use safe water for schools, and emergency
  supply
• community water systems in two villages
• construction and equipping of chlorine generating
  stations

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Sanitation

• 56 sanitary facilities constructed at 22 rural
  schools
• local labour, etc.
• modified design of the classic Ventilated
  Improved Pit (VIP) latrine (cast concrete septic
  tank greatly increases both sanitation aspects
  and life span).
• dual purpose students daily use and emergencies
• represents an advance - development - as well as
  introduction of element of mitigation.

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Health Centres

• Nine health centres rehabilitated, one new
  constructed.
• repairs/replacement of roofs
• replacement of windows and installation of metal
  shutters
• rehabilitation of electrical systems and water
  tanks
• implementation of mitigation measures

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The case of the Trio water system

• The village
• recently recognized as a village (with newly
  created village council)
• bananas, citrus, subsistence agriculture
• Maya, Mestizo, Central American Immigrants
• 98 houses, 383 inhabitants
• no electricity or running water
• storm damage to 90 of houses

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Unforeseen problems/complications

• difficulties in organizing Water Board
• conflicts arising (esp. around money, use of
  water)
• village expansion
• changing of established patterns of social
  interaction (e.g.womens routines)
• sustainability of project

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Lessons Learned

• A post-disaster situation presents an opportunity
  for development but, as with any community
  development activity, a wide range of factors -
  cultural, social, political, etc. - have to be
  taken into account. Something like the
  construction of a water system is not simply an
  engineering project. Close follow-up and
  on-going support is essential to sustainability.
• It is essential to share information, strategies
  etc., with all other actors involved -
  ministries, NGOs, community based organizations,
  etc.