Post-Georges Disaster Mitigation
in Antigua/Barbuda and St. Kitts/Nevis

Hurricane Georges, a category 3 storm, struck the Eastern Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis, 20-22 September 1998. The hurricane caused severe damage to economic and social infrastructure and dealt a serious blow to both islands' economies. 

In response to the damages from Hurricane Georges, the US Agency for International Development-Jamaica/Caribbean Regional Program (USAID-J/CAR), established a program entitled Hurricane Georges Reconstruction and Recovery in the Eastern Caribbean, targeting Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis. The Organization of American States' Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment (OAS/USDE) implemented the disaster mitigation capacity building component for USAID-J/CAR, under the project Post-Georges Disaster Mitigation (PGDM). [See PGDM background information for further details.] The PGDM included four primary objectives: 1. develop national hazard mitigation policies and plans, 2. strengthen building practices, 3. strengthen national emergency shelter policies and programs, 4. support public information programs on hazard mitigation.

All documents produced under the PGDM are available on this web site and are accessible through the thematic descriptions of project activities, below. A chronological description of project events is also available for Antigua/Barbuda and St. Kitts/Nevis.

• Overview
• Hazard Mitigation Planning
• Hazard and Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping
• Pre-disaster Planning for Post-disaster Recovery

• Overview
• Building Inspector Training Course
• Multi-hazard Building Design Course
• Building Code Sensitization Meetings
• Hazard Mitigation in the Insurance and Banking Sectors
• Hazard Resistant Housing Review
• Status of Building Codes in the Caribbean

• Overview
• Emergency Shelter Policy/Handbook Development
• Structural Vulnerability Assessment