The Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, known as CAF, has approved US$200,000 in grant funding for the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to strengthen disaster-resilient housing across the region.
The funding will support the Regional Resilient Residential Construction and Reconstruction Project, an 18-month initiative that builds on CDEMA's existing Safer Building Programme. The project aims to improve how homes are built before disasters strike, reducing damage and supporting faster recovery when tropical cyclones, floods, landslides or earthquakes occur.
CAF said the project will focus on the people and institutions that shape residential construction quality, including builders, artisans, contractors and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. It will provide training in resilient construction techniques and help TVET institutions integrate the Regional Code of Practice for Residential Construction into their programmes.
The initiative will also promote greater awareness of resilient housing standards among homeowners, financial institutions, policymakers and other stakeholders, encouraging wider adoption of safer building practices.
Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy, CAF's Regional Manager for the Caribbean, said rebuilding after a disaster will always be necessary, but preparing before one strikes is where the greatest difference can be made. «Resilience begins with the way residential infrastructure is designed and built,» she said.
She added that the grant aligns with CAF's commitment to invest not only in resilient infrastructure projects but also in knowledge, technical capacity and practices that reinforce a culture of disaster preparedness across the Caribbean.
CDEMA Executive Director Elizabeth Riley said every disaster reminds the region that resilience is not built in the aftermath of an event but through decisions made beforehand. «Strengthening the way our homes and communities are designed and built is therefore a critical investment in protecting lives, livelihoods and our development gains,» she said.
Riley said CDEMA is pleased to work with CAF on strengthening resilient construction practices, building technical capacity and promoting greater disaster preparedness. She described such partnerships as critical to ensuring communities are better prepared to withstand disasters and that the region's development gains are protected.
The Caribbean is one of the world's most disaster-prone regions, where natural hazards continue to place homes, communities and economies at risk. Strengthening construction before disasters occur is seen as a key way to reduce damage, protect lives and property, and support faster recovery.
The project is expected to run over the next 18 months, with training and institutional support targeting the construction sector and the agencies that regulate and finance housing across CDEMA's participating states.
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