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

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Based on the above information it is possible to assert that the disaster caused by hurricane
Ivan in Jamaica can be described, in broad terms, as one that destroyed or damaged assets
of housing, transport infrastructure, the environment and some permanent agricultural
plantations, while at the same time imposing a decline in future agriculture and livestock
and food processing production and in the tourism industry, as well as bringing about
decreased revenues and increased operational costs of utilities in the electricity, water
supply, telecommunications and transport sectors. In the following chapter, an analysis of
the repercussions that these damages and losses will have on the macroeconomic position
of the country will be presented.
When the results of the analysis of the impact of the hurricane on the national economy and
the living conditions of the population are considered in their entirety, the perception that
the country only sustained minor effects cannot be sustained. In fact, the figures provided
above speak for themselves. Furthermore, the impact can more easily be understood when
the analysis is carried down to the parish level 14 . A relatively high proportion of damage
and losses were concentrated in the parishes of the southern parishes of Manchester, St.
Elizabeth, Clarendon and St. Catherine, where the action of winds, storm surge, rains and
floods was stronger.
It is also of interest to note that in 1988 hurricane Gilbert (See box) produced much higher
impacts in Jamaica, and also to compare the impact of Ivan with that of other disasters that
have occurred in the Caribbean area in the recent past. 15
Table 6-2
Selected natural disasters in the Caribbean and their impact
Natural disaster Year Country Impact
Gilbert 1988 Jamaica 65% of GDP
Hugo 1989 Montserrat 200% of GDP
Debbie 1994 St. Lucia 18% of GDP
Luis and Marilyn 1995 Antigua 65% of GDP
Luis and Marilyn 1995 St. Kitts and Nevis 85% of GDP
Georges 1998 St. Kitts and Nevis 50% of sugar harvest
Lennny 1999 Barbuda 95% of primary sector GDP
Michelle 2001 Jamaica 1% of GDP
Ivan 2004 Grenada 200% of GDP
Ivan 2004 Jamaica 8% of GDP
Source: On the basis of official information
14 Not sufficient time was available to undertake a more detailed analysis of the disaster
impact at parish level.
15 Prior to Hurricane Gilbert, Jamaica was affected by a Hurricane in 1980 and by floods
in 1986 and 1991. The respective losses are estimated at 2%, 3% and 6% of GDP
respectively. See, Charveriat, C. Natural Disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean: An
Overview of Risk. IDB, Working Paper #434, October 2000.
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