CAF grants US$200k for resilient housing standards

CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, has approved a US$200 000 (BDS$400 000) technical assistance grant for the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to improve home building standards across the region.

The Caribbean remains one of the world’s most vulnerable areas to natural hazards, frequently exposed to severe tropical cyclones, flooding, landslides and seismic activity. Historically, these disasters have inflicted catastrophic physical damage on residential areas, disrupting lives and causing severe economic setbacks for developing island nations.

By acting before disasters occur, the 18-month Regional Resilient Residential Construction and Reconstruction Project aims to strengthen the region’s housing stock, save lives, protect personal property and support faster economic and social recovery after extreme weather events.

Building on CDEMA’s existing Safer Building Programme, the initiative focuses on the people and institutions involved in construction. During the project, technical assistance will directly benefit builders, artisans, independent contractors and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions across the region.

Through targeted training and updated educational resources, the initiative plans to train tradespeople in resilient construction techniques while helping vocational colleges to incorporate the Regional Code of Practice for Residential Construction into their curricula.

Beyond training for trade professionals, the project seeks to promote greater disaster preparedness across Caribbean society. A key component involves raising public and institutional awareness of resilient housing standards.

By targeting homeowners, financial institutions, property developers and government policymakers, the project will also encourage wider adoption of safer, certified building practices in public and private developments.

Speaking on the importance of proactive risk management, Dr Stacy Richards-Kennedy, regional manager for the Caribbean at CAF, highlighted the value of investing in infrastructure and human expertise before severe weather arrives.

“Rebuilding after a disaster will always be necessary, but preparing before one strikes is where we can make the greatest difference.

“Resilience begins with the way residential infrastructure is designed and built. This aligns with CAF’s commitment to invest not only in resilient infrastructure projects, but also in knowledge, technical capacity and practices that will serve to reinforce a culture of disaster preparedness across the Caribbean. CAF is proud to partner with CDEMA and to provide technical assistance grant funding to support this important project to build more resilient communities.”

Regional disaster management leaders also highlighted the importance of building local capacity to protect the Caribbean’s socio-economic development gains from recurring storms.

“Every disaster reminds us that resilience is not built in the aftermath of an event, but through the decisions we make before it occurs,” said CDEMA Executive Director Elizabeth Riley. “Strengthening the way our homes and communities are designed and built is therefore a critical investment in protecting lives, livelihoods and our development gains.”

Riley also noted the value of international institutional partnerships in advancing long-term climate adaptation and regional safety.

“CDEMA is pleased to be working with CAF to address these challenges by strengthening resilient construction practices, building technical capacity and promoting greater disaster preparedness across the Caribbean.

“Partnerships such as this are critical to ensuring that our communities are better prepared to withstand the impacts of disasters and that the region’s development gains are protected.”

(RR)