Jamaica: Macro-Socio-Economic and Environmental Assessment of ...

Following natural disasters, evidence points to differing responses to the crisis by both men and
women and of people in different age groups and socio-economic backgrounds. There has been
little reporting on the possible psychosocial trauma, which the members of the society may have
experienced, or of support provided.
V. IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
a) Conditions prior to the disaster
1. General Comments
Natural hazards are an important component of the natural environmental systems operating in
Jamaica, but the occurrence of extreme events is often accompanied by disastrous impacts on
land and livelihood. Vulnerability and risk have been increased by anthropogenic activities in
that inadequate settlement patterns and land use practices have greatly altered the natural
rainfall-runoff relationships so that hydrographs tend to rise more quickly and flood flows are
more frequent. Accelerated erosion accompanies the rapid runoff as natural protective resources
become increasingly degraded. Settlement also occurs in hazard prone solution basins and
floodways which are often compromised in their ability to discharge floodwaters because of
blocked sinkholes or heavily silted channels. The record is therefore replete with damage from
extreme hydrometeorological events, which are accompanied by slope failure, flooding and the
attendant disruption of infrastructure and livelihoods. When social and economic dislocation
result considerable sums have to be diverted from budgetary allocations for capital and recurrent
expenditure.
Hurricane Ivan was the second hurricane system to affect the island within one month. Charley, a
category one hurricane, also passed south of the island on August 11, 2004, and brought intense
rainfall and some wind damage primarily to the southern parishes of St Elizabeth and
Manchester. Flooding from high intensity rainfall and high volume runoff occurred in several
communities, and the worst hit was the Bigwoods area including Newell where there was
extensive damage to the agricultural sector, roads, houses and personal effects. This area had a
similar experience from Ivan.
The south coast marine environment also experienced storm wave activity from Charley and it
has been suggested that given the similarity between Allen on the north coast (1980) and Ivan in
the south coast (2004) in terms of the path of the eye with respect to the coastline, it is likely that
damage to the nearshore and offshore marine environment could be similar. Reefs along
sections of the north coast of Jamaica suffered a loss of about 67 percent during Hurricane Allen.
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