DOMINICA HURRICANE UPDATE – MORNE PROSPER (October 2018)
CURRENT ACTIVITIES (RECOVERY PHASE) ● The Primary & Pre School concrete foundations are complete ● The retaining wall concrete foundations are complete & our team of local masons are working on the blockwork ● Volunteers are preparing rebar & formwork for the two main slabs & the walls
● ● ●
The excavation works for the new septic tank are complete with support from Samaritan’s Purse Two roofing teams are up & running and have completed two residential roofs The roofing teams are now working on their third and fourth roofs
DISASTER PROFILE Regarded as the worst natural disaster on record in Dominica, Hurricane Maria made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on September 18, 2017 with winds over 160 mph. Hurricane Maria left Dominica completely devastated, damaging tens of thousands of buildings, all power, water and telecoms, and obliterating 100% of agriculture – a major source of income. Damages and losses are estimated at USD $1.3m, or 224% of Dominica’s GDP. OUR WORK All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response has been focusing its efforts in Dominica on rebuilding schools and repairing residential roofs. Having completed our first project - rebuilding Paix Bouche Primary and Pre School in St. Andrew Province - we are now focusing on rebuilding Morne Prosper Primary and Pre School in St. George Province. At the center of our work are Build Back Better techniques to make the schools and roofs resistant against future hurricanes and earthquakes. Working closely with the Ministry of Education, other NGOs, the schools and the local communities, this essential work will create much safer homes and more appropriate learning environments, which also serve as evacuation shelters for the surrounding communities.
Hurricane Maria Anniversary On the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, September 18th 2018, staff, volunteers and local community members came together to share stories and songs while enjoying a delicious dinner at the project base in Copthall.
OUR IMPACT
41
STUDENTS IMPACTED
2
SCHOOLS IN PROGRESS
622
VOLUNTEER DAYS
36
VOLUNTEERS
Roofing Programme After the success of our roofing programme with International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Calibishie, we are excited to be working with International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to continue repairing residential roofs in the Morne Prosper area. With over 90% of roofs lost during Hurricane Maria, this is an area of great need in Dominica, and in Morne Prosper specifically, as they have not yet received any assistance. We now have two roofing teams up and running and they have already completed two new roofs!
The Big Pour! Our largest concrete pour to date in Morne Prosper - 153 mixes to cover 15.5 cubic meters in completed in just 6 hours.
OUR MISSION To effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. By listening to local people, and deploying a unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, we rebuild safe, resilient schools, homes and other community infrastructure.
OUR DOMINICA PARTNERS
5 YEARS IN A ROW! Only 10% of charities have received at least 5 consecutive 4-star ratings. This means All Hands and Hearts outperforms most of the other 1.5 million charities in America in operational and financial efficiency.
@ALLHANDSANDHEARTS
@ALLHANDSANDHEARTS
@ALLHANDSHEARTS
For additional information: Ellie Griffies-Weld, Partnership Manager ellie.gw@allhandsandhearts.org www.allhandsandhearts.org