CDEMA’s PEPSSC LAUNCHES WEBINAR SERIES TO BUILD AFFORDABLE, DISASTER RESILIENT HOMES
Bridgetown, Barbados– The Physical and Environmental Planning Sector Subcommittee (PEPSSC) of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is hosting a webinar series on building homes that can withstand some of the worst natural disasters in the region.
Happening this September — 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th — the event comes on the heels of the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl — the earliest recorded Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic – which severely damaged or destroyed over 90 per cent of the buildings on the islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique in Grenada and Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and impacted eight other countries in the Caribbean.
These events along with the previous 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti in August 2021, have highlighted the urgent need for the Caribbean to adopt and enforce stronger building standards, as the region is estimated to have experienced US$28 billion in damage over the last seven decades due to the impact of natural disasters.
The four-part series explores building standards in the region including the OECS Building Standard and the newly approved CARICOM Regional Building Code of Practice (CRCP 10:2023), developed by the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Quality and Standards (CROSQ) in partnership with CDEMA, and its guidelines for building homes that can withstand category five (5) hurricanes and magnitude seven (7) earthquakes.
Hosted by CDEMA’s Physical and Environmental Planning Sector Subcommittee (PEPSSC) of the Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Coordination and Harmonisation Council, under the theme “Integrity and Safety in Residential Construction: Constructing Homes for Tomorrow and the Role of Building Standards”, the event explores strategies to build affordable, resilient homes and enhance the region’s preparedness for future disasters.
The webinars feature expert presentations and panel discussions with policymakers and industry leaders, as they discuss the practical use of building standards, the role of policymakers, financial and insurance providers, and the creation of incentive programs to encourage compliance among contractors and homeowners.
The emphasis on resilient homes for this series is one of the key priorities of the PEPSSC which has the responsibility of providing guidance for mainstreaming CDM in development planning. Members includes the Organisation of American States, the Caribbean Planners Association, the Caribbean Development Bank, CROSQ, the Council of Caribbean Engineering Organizations (CCEO), the Federation of Caribbean Associations of Architects, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the University of Technology, Jamaica, and the University of the West Indies Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES).
The webinars are supported by Global Affairs Canada under the Targeted Support to CDEMA project which has financed the re-engagement of the CDM Coordination and Harmonisation Council (CHC) and its Sector Subcommittees inclusive of the PEPSSC, to improve regional capacity for mainstreaming of CDM.
For more information and to register, interested persons can visit https://hostsbb.com/ or contact Dr. Nicole Greenidge, Disaster Risk Management Specialist, CDEMA at [email protected] or Ms. Marsha Dennie, Project Coordinator, Resource Mobilisation and Programme Development, CROSQ at [email protected].
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