ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands (CMC) – The British Virgin islands (BVI) is to launch a project that is aimed at helping three flood-prone communities build resilience to the impact of climate change.

The BVI is establishing the flood-resilient SMART Communities through Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Partnerships project that will target the communities of Sea Cow’s Bay and East End/Long Look on Tortola, and Great Harbour on the sister island of Jost Van Dyke.

A SMART Community integrates comprehensive disaster management principles to reduce vulnerability and build resilience to climate change impacts. The project is intended to create a safer, healthier and greener environment that allows the residents in the targeted communities and other users to live and function in a way that enhances their overall quality of life.

It is scheduled to be completed over the next two years.

The project is being funded through the Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (CDRRF), which is managed by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank and is a collaborative effort involving various stakeholders, including the BVI Government, the Red Cross and the Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society.

“The devastation experienced in the Caribbean during the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is a reminder that tackling the impacts of climate change in one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions must be a matter of urgency,” said Claudia James, CDRRF project manager.

“CDRRF is pleased to help borrowing member countries build greater resilience to these hazards, which continue to threaten the region’s social and economic development,” she added.

The CDRRF has provided US$649,500 towards the project.

Director of the Department of Disaster Management, Sharleen DaBreo has underscored the project’s importance in helping the BVI lessen its vulnerability to climate change impacts.

“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has noted that in recent decades, changes in climate have caused impacts on natural and human systems on all continents and across the oceans,” DaBreo said.

Like other Caribbean islands, the BVI is highly susceptible to the devastating impact of natural disasters because of the proximity of communities to coastlines and changes to natural topography.

“We have already witnessed first-hand the catastrophic impact of intensifying weather systems that could be attributed to the warming global climate.

“The August floods we experienced also illustrate the devastating impact of intense periods of rainfall on vulnerable communities. The Flood-Resilient SMART Communities project is therefore quite timely for the BVI and we are keen to see the results,” she added.