Hurricane-resistant Home Improvement in the OECSMaking low-income housing in the OECS safer and
environmentally sustainable NRDF Hurricane-resistant Home Improvement Program | Program Strengthening |
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The objective of this program review and strengthening exercise was to develop and implement guidelines for implementation of safer housing programs for low-income residents in the Caribbean, minimizing the environmental impact and making their homes resilient to prevalent natural hazards and offering group property insurance to all participants. This project is funded by the World Bank and the Government of Brazil. [Final Project Report]
Use of these materials: These documents were developed with funding through the World Bank and copyright for it remains with this institution. The materials developed under this project are intended for wide use and distribution. To support wide use, this document may be extracted or reproduced, as part of safer housing initiatives, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of the source document and copyright holder is retained.
The objective of the first phase of this project was to review and strengthen the existing safer housing retrofit and loan program in St. Lucia and to reestablish the group insurance program for low-income homeowners under this program. This review was divided into three separate components: 1) program finances and administration, 2) construction quality control and 3) group insurance program.
Programme Finances and Administration. A review of NRDF's existing safer housing program was conducted to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the existing program. The financial review analyzed the costs of the services provided, including estimation of work and costing of materials, processing and management of loans, inspection and insurance. Recommendations for improving overall performance and effectiveness of the program are included throughout the final report. [Terms of Reference]
Construction Quality Control. Ensuring appropriate quality of construction is central to the proper functioning of the HRHIP. Verification of hazard-resistant building measures is critical to the viability of the loan and insurance pools. The quality control mechanism for retrofit work in the current program was reviewed and recommendations for programme strengthening developed. The roles of the estimator and inspector were refined and training needs identified. The existing minimum standards for retrofit (originally developed under the Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project) are being reviewed and updated and environmental siting aspects have been integrated into the new manual, which is entitled Minimum Building Standards and Environmental Guidelines. This update will be coordinated with the safer building curriculum development to be undertaken under the Caribbean Hazard Mitigation Capacity Building Program (CHAMP). [Terms of Reference]
An inquiry was also made to a metal fabrication firm in St. Lucia regarding the potential production of hurricane straps to serve the local and regional market.
Group Insurance Program. The previously existing group insurance program for participants in the St. Lucia HRHIP was reviewed and recommendations for its reestablishment were developed. A survey of homeowners' willingness to buy and pay for home insurance was conducted as part of the overall review of program finances and administration. A proposal to provide group insurance policies for low-income homeowners whose homes have been strengthened was presented to local insurance agencies in St. Lucia. In the Spring of 2003, NRDF re-established a group property insurance cover for participants in its safer housing program. The group insurance policy was re-established directly with The Alliance, the original insurer of this program. This coverage expires in April 2004. Under this group policy, the sum insured is EC $1,028,000 for concrete houses and EC $4,637,132 for wooden houses. [Terms of Reference]
A home’s location is the primary determinant of the forces to which it will be subject from the prevalent natural hazards. This is particularly true of hazards with localized effects, such as flooding along riverbanks, storm surge along the coastline, debris fall at the base of unstable slopes and liquefaction of unconsolidated soils during seismic events. Proper site identification and preparation can significantly reduce the environmental impacts of housing development, by maintaining the stability of slopes through proper cut design, retaining existing vegetation and minimizing sedimentation caused by land clearing and grading. Strengthening existing and new housing, both financially and structurally, also helps maintain environmental quality by limiting the amount of new housing that is required to replace units that are damaged or destroyed by the effects of natural hazards.
Under this project component, typical environmental problems associated with improper housing siting were reviewed through a field assessment. Using the results of the assessment, guidelines for site selection, land preparation and site design were developed and integrated into the St. Lucia HRHIP. The siting guidelines pay particular attention to steep slopes, land cutting, flooding and storm surge. The guidelines will be disseminated to homeowners, land developers, builders, physical planners, banks and insurance companies involved in the St. Lucia program. [Terms of Reference]
Upon completion of the review and upgrading of the St. Lucia programme, guidelines for replication of this program were developed for use by NRDF and by other safer housing programmes throughout the region. Existing training materials for builders and inspectors/estimators, retrofit standards, inspection capabilities and homeowner selection criteria were refined, as were the existing administrative, financial and loan procedures at NRDF.
The program guidelines address minimum standards for home retrofit, revolving loan programs for safer housing retrofit and improvement, group insurance programs for low-income homeowners, and training requirements for estimators, inspectors and builders/artisans. Distributed as a separate volume, the Minimum Building Standards and Environmental Guidelines form an integral part of the programme guidance, as outlined in the Guidelines for the Implementation of a Safer Housing and Retrofit Program for Low-income Earners. [Terms of Reference]
In the review of the safer housing program, the hiring of a full-time building officer was identified as a critical step to strengthening the construction quality control element of the program. The building officer position will be responsible for assisting the homeowner with the project plan and material selection to ensure the incorporation of safer building components; testing the selected builder for knowledge of safer building techniques; and inspecting the building during construction and upon completion for compliance with safer building standards. Initial funding for this position has been identified through an EU-funded housing program. NRDF added a full-time building officer to its staff in August 2003.
Last Updated 10 September 2003
