The CCRIF SPC, formerly the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, has received a donation of $80,000 from the FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation to enhance disaster preparedness among member governments.
According to the announcement, $75,000 of the grant will be used to enable at least four Caribbean countries to improve their weather monitoring networks by adding automated weather systems and other equipment to their existing networks.
“These new automated weather systems (AWSs) will enhance these countries’ early warning systems and their ability to better prepare for hydro-meteorological events such as hurricanes and severe rainfall events throughout the year,” the CCRIF SPC explained.
Adding: “These systems also can inform longer-term planning. AWSs can incorporate a range of sensors that can provide data to enable national meteorological services to undertake more detailed and reliable analysis of climate trends to inform national strategies on climate change and disaster risk management.”
The other amount, $5,000 will be used to print and disseminate additional copies of CCRIF’s children’s publication on “Hazards, Disasters and Climate Change”, developed for children ages 8 to 12 years old, according to the announcement.
The FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation is a registered charity which was established in 2003, to support CIBC FirstCaribbean’s community relations programmes.
The foundation’s most recent donation aims to support an existing initiative currently being implemented by CCRIF that focuses on providing much needed assistance to its member governments to enhance their AWS networks.
In 2020, CCRIF worked with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) to undertake a situational analysis to determine if there were existing gaps in rainfall measuring networks of its member governments and the extent of these gaps.
According to Isaac Anthony, CCRIF’s Chief Executive Officer: “The Situational Analysis, which assessed the rainfall measuring network of 19 of CCRIF member governments, indicated that only five Caribbean countries have over 70% of the recommended level of AWS coverage. The minimum coverage was 10% of optimal coverage, the maximum was 90% of optimal coverage, with an average of 40% of optimal coverage across the countries.”
Having reviewed the report, the CCRIF Board took the decision to provide support under its Technical Assistance Programme to member countries in the region to strengthen their network of AWSs.
CCRIF also reached out to the FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation based on the goals of the Foundation to determine if this was an area that they would be willing to provide support for.
Since then, the CCRIF has assisted four countries, which include Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Cayman Islands. It has provided them with approximately $250,000 in support to improve and expand their rainfall data collection and measurement systems.
“These resources from the ComTrust Foundation will support an additional 4 countries to expand their rainfall monitoring networks. CCRIF will match these resources from ComTrust to support another 4 countries in the region. By the middle of 2024, 12 countries in the Caribbean would have additional AWSs and enhanced rainfall measuring networks, which will help governments to better prepare their populations in the face of the increasing frequency and intensity of hydro-meteorological hazards.” the organisation noted.
