CAPRI calls for tighter controls over use of disaster funds

 

The Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) is calling for tighter controls over the use of disaster funds, real-time tracking of relief spending and increased insurance coverage as part of 16 policy changes Jamaica needs to better prepare for future disasters. 

 

The recommendations are outlined in its report, 'Higher Ground: Lessons from Hurricane Melissa for Resilience, Relief and Recovery'. It examines why Jamaica was so vulnerable to the category 5 hurricane and identifies practical reforms. 

 

CAPRI wants limits imposed on the ability of any administration to withdraw money from disaster funds and contingent to credit facilities for purposes not authorised under the legislation. 

 

It is also proposing real-time digital accounting and auditing systems to track disaster-related receipts and expenditure across government agencies. 

 

The institute says this would give Parliament and the public greater visibility into how relief funds are being used and address accountability gaps previously identified by the Auditor General. 

 

The report also calls for changes to the financial instructions to allow cash donations received during a declared disaster to be approved for spending within days.

 

It further recommends assigning one agency responsibility for verifying that repairs paid for with relief funds have actually been completed. 

 

On disaster financing, CAPRI wants Jamaica to expand its use of catastrophe bonds and parametric insurance while increasing the coverage limits on its policies with the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF). 

 

The institute says the measures are intended to ensure that funding is available when disasters strike, while strengthening transparency and accountability in how the money is spent. 

 

The report finds that 86 per cent of Hurricane Melissa's damage was to the built environment, much of it affecting buildings constructed before an enforceable national building code was in place. 

 

It also highlights the vulnerability of Jamaica's electricity infrastructure, which was designed to withstand a Category 3 hurricane, and the loss of natural coastal defences such as mangroves and forests. 

 

 

Meanwhile, CAPRI is recommending sweeping changes to Jamaica's building standards, electricity grid, water infrastructure and emergency services as part of efforts to strengthen the country's resilience.

 

CAPRI wants building standards strengthened to better withstand hurricanes, including stricter requirements for securing roofs. It is also recommending that the electricity transmission network be upgraded to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, and that stronger structural standards be introduced for utility scale solar installations. 

 

The institute is calling for critical water infrastructure including treatment plants, pipelines and pumping equipment to be relocated or elevated to reduce the risk of flooding. 

 

It also wants tighter restrictions on construction in highly exposed areas, and measures to address homes that are repeatedly flooded. 

 

CAPRI says Jamaica should establish a clear reconstruction plan before the next disaster and develop a national inventory of buildings and infrastructure, with utility companies required to provide relevant information. 

 

The recommendations extend to environmental protection, with CAPRI urging the preservation of natural barriers, including mangroves and forests, to help reduce the impact of flooding and coastal hazards.

 

"For the natural environment, all we need to do is protect and restore what already protects us. We can declare healthy mangroves already on state land as a protected area. What we can do is also restore the ones that are currently threatened or recovering, so that we can maximise on the coastal protection potential, and as much as possible, we have to stop the exemptions and overrides that have allowed them to be cleared," said researcher Aleem Mahabir. 

 

Additionally, CAPRI wants a permanent digital platform to coordinate the distribution of relief and process claims, supported by a national register of households.