Shinique Walters | Establish disaster aid funding framework for communities

Hurricane Melissa has left a trail of widespread disruption, exposing the country’s deep vulnerability to climate-related disasters. Flooding, uprooted trees, damaged roofs, crops destroyed, bridges washed away, and several communities marooned.

The aftermath has left hundreds of families displaced and the local economy suffering significant losses. The parish council have now been forced to assess damages amidst limited resources. The storm’s impacts extend not only to the physical and economic toll on communities but also to the persistent inequalities in how recovery aid is accessed and distributed.

Melissa is reminding us that the disaster response system must go beyond immediate relief. It requires an equitable and structured framework for allocating aid, focusing on the population, geography, and socio-economic vulnerability. The new voice highlights the need for a standardised disaster funding rubric to ensure that support reaches the most severely affected areas efficiently and fairly.

STRUCTURED FUNDING FRAMEWORK

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Ministry of Local Government provide post-disaster relief allocations, along with the J$1.5 million constituency emergency funds, and the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF SPC), which offers quick liquidity. However, specific challenges often arise in the distribution of those funds. The challenge that exists is that some constituencies experience minimal impact yet receive the same allocation as other severely affected constituencies. This imbalance has led to calls for a standardised rubric framework that guides the assessment and disbursement of local and international aid, promoting accountability, equity, and data-driven decision-making.

International donor agencies, such as the UN, UNDP, the European Union, and the Red Cross, will also assist in emergency responses. The private sectors, philanthropic individuals and organisations also provide grants and in-kind support during a crisis. However, each actor applies its own criteria when assessing need and determining eligibility. This fragmented approach highlights the importance of establishing a transparent, unified, and equitable rubric that will guide and improve the efficiency across communities.

KEY AREAS FOR SELECTION

Disaster aid must reflect the full complexity of how the communities have been affected. Therefore, we must focus on the extent of the physical damage – the destruction of infrastructure, homes, hospitals, and schools. While the physical damages exist, it does not, however, tell the whole story of vulnerability; therefore, we also have to assess communities with a high proportion of children, persons with disability, the elderly or single-parent households, as they are often less able to recover quickly. A demographic assessment must be completed, as emphasis will have to be placed on specialised support services. The topography of coastal communities must also be examined, as they may face the aftershocks of being exposed to additional flooding, landslides, and road blockages that isolate them from the relief services they require.

Remote or marginalised communities are also sometimes overlooked; we must also be intentional and prioritise to ensure that no group is left behind in the recovery process. So, the urgency of need is central. As communities may require humanitarian assistance – water, shelter, food and medical supplies. While others may need more long-term support for rebuilding homes and livelihoods

RUBRIC FOR DISASTER AID ASSESSMENT

The rubric should integrate all dimensions – demography, geography, damage, socioeconomic status, environmental vulnerability, urgency and capacity when designing and scoring each area in the community assessment framework. The rubric would rank communities based on their measured needs and vulnerabilities. Limited institutional capacity, extensive destruction and poverty should rank higher based on needs and vulnerability, making aid more equitable and efficient. This rubric would provide a common language that both international and local donors can use to help the government and donor agencies coordinate their interventions, reduce duplication and ensure that resources are directed where they can have a considerable impact. This framework would also strengthen accountability and transparency by providing a clear rationale for funding.

HOW TO MAKE THE RUBRIC EFFECTIVE

For the rubric to be effective, it must be supported by all actors, including the institutional coordination and public accountability. The Ministry of Finance, academics, ODPEM, PIOJ, SDC, and the various parish disaster entities in communities should be involved in the development of the assessment tool. Training sessions can also be established with local teams to help them conduct rapid and accurate assessments following a disaster. The use of GIS mapping and mobile survey tools can further enhance the quality and speed of data collection when making assessments. Through a transparent approach, we can strengthen through regular publication and disbursement of reports with community-level verifications.

MAKING AID DISTRIBUTION RESILIENT

The standardised aid rubric is more than an administrative mechanism; it is an accountable, moral, and strategic initiative, examining aid as both a short-term and long-term approach with measurable indicators that can guarantee that most of the affected communities will be supported and help build them back more resiliently.

Despite worsening climate impacts. The country will have to distribute resources effectively while strategically empowering the resilient people. A fair, evidence-based framework will help transform disaster response from a temporary relief exercise into a long-term commitment that leads to equity, resilience, and a sustainable recovery after Hurricane Melissa.

Dr Shinique Walters is a lecturer in the Department of Government and research fellow at the Centre for Leadership and Government at The University of the West Indies, Mona. Send feedback to shiniquewalters@gmail.com