The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, covering areas such as the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has forecast an 85% chance that this season will be above normal. There are expected to be between 17 and 25 named storms, of which eight to 13 could become hurricanes, including four to seven major hurricanes (Categories 3-5).

In preparation for this season, Caribbean Caritas, members of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) - EMPOWER, participated in a hurricane exercise simulation from May 20 to 25, 2024. This event brought together representatives from Caritas Antilles, Caritas Dominica and Caritas Grenada, as well as representatives from non-Caritas EMPOWER partners, such as Living Water Community from Trinidad & Tobago and Saint Patrick's Ranger from Jamaica. The objective of the event was to strengthen preparation, response and coordination capabilities in the face of climate threats, especially hurricanes.

Capacity Strengthening and Coordination

The event agenda included sessions on innovative activities in disaster risk reduction, anticipatory action, climate forecasting tools, emergency kits and review of preparedness and response plans. In addition, practical simulations were carried out focusing on the actions necessary before, during and after the impact of a hurricane. These simulations tested partners' capabilities in warehouse management, worktable and cluster coordination, activation of safeguarding investigation processes, proposal development, situational report writing and more.

Participants in the SIMEX exercise not only included members of CRS EMPOWER, but also representatives from USAID/BHA, Food for the Poor and Grenada's National Risk and Response Management Agency (NaDMA). These entities simulated their roles during the exercise so that partners could experience first-hand the coordination efforts with these external entities.

Future Initiatives and Training

As a result of this event, Caribbean partners are now looking to lead their own SIMEX at the local level. Therefore, CRS EMPOWER is preparing a Training of Trainers webinar to train future SIMEX facilitators at the local level.

Voucher & Cash Assistance during Emergency Response

CRS EMPOWER, in collaboration with the CALP network and Cáritas Antilles, led the first skills training for program staff in cash and voucher assistance in the Eastern Caribbean. From May 27 to 30, 2024, 18 participants, including EMPOWER partners and representatives from organizations such as WFP, UNICEF, IOM, Helen's Daughter and the Red Cross, were formally certified by CALP in cash and voucher assistance skills; These mechanisms are helpful to communities and their local economy at all stages of an emergency.

The five-day training addressed topics such as gathering information and analyzing markets, calculating the basic basket of minimum expenses, and best practices for collaborating with financial service providers. This space also made it possible to establish contacts and explore areas of collaboration between local organizations, including Cáritas, with regional and international entities present in the Caribbean.

These preparation and training efforts demonstrate the commitment of Cáritas and its partners to strengthen resilience and response capacity in the face of natural disasters, thus protecting the most vulnerable communities in the Caribbean.

With information and photographs from CRS-EMPOWER