Press Release
December 20, 2005
IDB APPROVES $5 MILLION LOAN FOR DISASTER PREVENTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Pilot projects in municipalities and schools; monitoring of potential impacts of natural threats
The Inter-American Development Bank today announced the approval of a $5 million loan to the Dominican Republic for a program to improve disaster prevention and risk management.
Like other countries in the Caribbean Basin, the Dominican Republic faces hurricanes, tidal waves, floods, mudslides and earthquakes. Cataclysms in this region have killed thousands of people and caused billions of dollars in economic losses and infrastructure damage. The accumualted costs of smaller natural disasters also take a toll on development.
The program, which will be executed by the National Planning Office (ONAPLAN), will help the Dominican government lay the foundations of a national strategy for risk management. It will also enable the country to gain more experience and technical capacity to undertake a comprehensive plan of public investments to reduce risks associated with natural disasters.
“With this program the Dominican Republic places risk management at the heart of its development strategy,” said IDB project team leader Caroline Clarke.
The program includes a pilot project in eight municipalities where it will finance the preparation of risk scenarios and evaluations as well as training of local environmental management units and risk management committees that will draft action plans for risk reduction. It will also support community investments in small-scale disaster mitigation projects, information systems, public awareness campaigns and basic equipment to respond to emergencies.
A second pilot project will protect school infrastructure and prepare students and their communities to reduce risks and better organize to respond to emergencies. Approximately 5,000 teachers will be trained to educate students about natural disasters and risk reduction. Some 500 schools will receive basic emergency response equipment.
The program will also help cement ONAPLAN’s leadership in the implementation of national policies and plans that will provide a framework for disaster prevention and risk management. The program will assist authorities in generating and monitoring key information on the potential impact of natural threats and the country’s ability to address them.
The program is expected to enable the Dominican Republic to complete its transition from policies based on emergency response to natural disasters to policies guided by risk management and vulnerability reduction criteria.
The loan is for a 25-year term, with a 30-month grace period and a variable interest rate. Local counterpart funds for this program will total $500,000.
December 20, 2005
IDB APPROVES $5 MILLION LOAN FOR DISASTER PREVENTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Pilot projects in municipalities and schools; monitoring of potential impacts of natural threats
The Inter-American Development Bank today announced the approval of a $5 million loan to the Dominican Republic for a program to improve disaster prevention and risk management.
Like other countries in the Caribbean Basin, the Dominican Republic faces hurricanes, tidal waves, floods, mudslides and earthquakes. Cataclysms in this region have killed thousands of people and caused billions of dollars in economic losses and infrastructure damage. The accumualted costs of smaller natural disasters also take a toll on development.
The program, which will be executed by the National Planning Office (ONAPLAN), will help the Dominican government lay the foundations of a national strategy for risk management. It will also enable the country to gain more experience and technical capacity to undertake a comprehensive plan of public investments to reduce risks associated with natural disasters.
“With this program the Dominican Republic places risk management at the heart of its development strategy,” said IDB project team leader Caroline Clarke.
The program includes a pilot project in eight municipalities where it will finance the preparation of risk scenarios and evaluations as well as training of local environmental management units and risk management committees that will draft action plans for risk reduction. It will also support community investments in small-scale disaster mitigation projects, information systems, public awareness campaigns and basic equipment to respond to emergencies.
A second pilot project will protect school infrastructure and prepare students and their communities to reduce risks and better organize to respond to emergencies. Approximately 5,000 teachers will be trained to educate students about natural disasters and risk reduction. Some 500 schools will receive basic emergency response equipment.
The program will also help cement ONAPLAN’s leadership in the implementation of national policies and plans that will provide a framework for disaster prevention and risk management. The program will assist authorities in generating and monitoring key information on the potential impact of natural threats and the country’s ability to address them.
The program is expected to enable the Dominican Republic to complete its transition from policies based on emergency response to natural disasters to policies guided by risk management and vulnerability reduction criteria.
The loan is for a 25-year term, with a 30-month grace period and a variable interest rate. Local counterpart funds for this program will total $500,000.
