Background

Grenada is an island country in the Eastern Caribbean with a history of colonial rule, popular revolution, and rapid—but not diversified—economic development.  While it shares many characteristics with other small island developing states (SIDS), particularly its close neighbors in the Caribbean Community, Grenada’s unique political and social context also shapes its ability to address natural disasters.

Natural disasters can have devastating effects on any country, but present particular dangers for SIDS.  In these states, disasters often impact all sectors or regions simultaneously, and government and civil society often lack the necessary financial and technical capacity to quickly recover.  In Grenada in particular, tourism development has caused large numbers of people to migrate to exposed or disaster-prone locations, such as unplanned and unsafe urban settlements.

 To meet the challenges posed by natural disasters, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has promoted the use of Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) among member states, involving the management of hazards at all stages: prevention and mitigation; preparedness; response; and recovery and rehabilitation. In CDM, programs place strong emphasis on facilitating partnerships and coordination between stakeholders from the public and private sectors and from civil society.