Post-Georges Disaster Mitigation Project: Terms of Reference

Development of Drought Hazard Maps for Antigua, Barbuda and Nevis

Purpose and Summary of Activities

One of the major objectives of the Post-Georges Disaster Mitigation ("PGDM") project is the development of national goals, objectives and actions to reduce the vulnerability of Antigua/Barbuda and St. Kitts/Nevis to the effects of natural hazards. A prerequisite for developing appropriate hazard mitigation strategies is a solid understanding of the existing hazards and their effects. Under this contract, an assessment of drought hazard and vulnerability to drought will be undertaken for the islands of Antigua, Barbuda and Nevis. The understanding of drought hazards gained through this contract will inform the development of national drought hazard vulnerability reduction policies and measures for these islands.

1. Collect existing drought-related reports and data from drought experts in both countries.

2. Undertake a drought hazard assessment using current drought hazard assessment methodologies and with the requirements of the Convention to Combat Desertification.

3. Produce GIS data, hazard maps and technical and non-technical reports from the results of the drought hazard assessment.

4. Present and discuss drought hazard assessment results in Antigua, Barbuda and Nevis.

Terms of Reference

1. The Independent Contractor (hereinafter referred to as "The Consultant") will be technically responsible to the Director of the Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment ("USDE") of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States ("GS/OAS"), for fulfilling the obligations established by the following terms of reference of this contract.
2. One of the major objectives of the Post-Georges Disaster Mitigation ("PGDM") project is the development of national goals, objectives and actions to reduce the vulnerability of Antigua/Barbuda and St. Kitts/Nevis to the effects of natural hazards. A prerequisite for developing appropriate hazard mitigation strategies is a solid understanding of the existing hazards and their effects. Under this contract, an assessment of drought hazard and vulnerability to drought will be undertaken for the islands of Antigua, Barbuda and Nevis. The understanding of drought hazards gained through this contract will inform the development of national drought hazard vulnerability reduction policies and measures for these islands.
3. Under this contract, the consultant will undertake the following activities in Antigua, Barbuda and Nevis:
1. Meet with the relevant agencies and individuals in each island to collect existing reports and data on drought hazards. These are to include both agencies that collect information on drought and those representing sectors affected by drought (e.g. tourism, agriculture, water authorities, economic and physical planning). In each island, document current information and procedures regarding drought, including existing definitions of drought, designated lead agencies and existing policies and plans.
2. Undertake a drought hazard and vulnerability assessment for Antigua, Barbuda and Nevis. These assessments are to be consistent with current drought hazard assessment methodologies and with the reporting needs of both Antigua/Barbuda and St. Kitts/Nevis under the Convention to Combat Desertification. Activities under the hazard assessment include:
1. Compile historic evidence of drought and their effects on critical sectors. To the extent possible, the social, economic and environmental impacts of these events are to be described. From this information, develop a working definition of drought in the context of each island and indicators for future identification of drought events.
2. Compile information on and assess causes of drought on each island. Included in this investigation are the contributions of precipitation patterns, controlled and uncontrolled grazing, soil types and development.
3. Identify the sectors most at risk to the effects of drought. Assess the vulnerability of these sectors to drought and determine the level of preparedness for future events. Meet with representatives of these sectors to determine appropriate responses to any gaps in preparedness.
4. Produce island-wide geographic information system (GIS) data layers depicting drought hazard risk zones in Antigua, Barbuda and Nevis. These data are to be in an Arc/Info- or ArcView-compatible format, georeferenced to the common mapping standard for each island, and accompanied by the appropriate GIS metadata.
5. Using the GIS data described above, produce island-wide drought hazard maps for Antigua, Barbuda and Nevis. These maps will depict areas at high-, medium- and low-risk to drought. All maps are to include a common set of reference features (e.g. roads, settlement areas), to be provided by the PGDM for this purpose, and will conform to the PGDM hazard map layout, as defined by GS/OAS. Where appropriate, information on vulnerable sectors is to be included on these maps.
3. Produce a technical report of the drought hazard assessment. This report should include a proposed definition of drought in the context of each island and indicators for future identification of drought events. This technical report should describe the structure and content of the hazard maps, the methodology employed in map preparation (including data collection, analysis and final preparation), map use and limitations, metadata and information sources. Recommendations for future work should be included. This report should also identify key contacts on each island for drought hazards.
4. Produce non-technical summaries, by country, of the drought hazard assessment. This summary should be suitable for distribution independent of the technical summary and should be approximately 2500 words in length.
5. During this project, the consultant will make two trips each to Nevis and Barbuda; an initial trip to meet with local counterparts and collect reports and data and a final trip to discuss the results of the assessment.
4. The consultant shall submit the following documents to GS/OAS’ satisfaction. All documents are to be submitted in electronic format.
1. A preliminary report on the historic incidence of drought in Antigua, Barbuda and Nevis and their effects on critical sectors. This report is also to include a preliminary assessment of the sectors most vulnerable to drought hazards and a working definition of drought hazards, for use in this project. [See §III a.–d.] This report is to be submitted to GS/OAS within one month of the inception of the contract.
2. Draft copies of all maps, as described in §III. e.–f. for review by GS/OAS. These maps can be submitted in electronic format.
3. Final copies of the drought hazard GIS layers, as described in §III. e. Other significant GIS data layers developed for the drought hazard assessment or derived during the project should also be delivered.
4. Final copies of all maps, as described in §III. f. For each map, five copies are to be submitted in hardcopy format and one copy in electronic format.
5. A technical report on the drought hazard assessment [See §III. g.]
6. A non-technical summary of the drought hazard assessment [See §III. h.]

Justification

Mr. Jackson has significant experience with environmental and land assessment in the Eastern Caribbean. Through assessments of the agricultural sector, including studies of the banana industry and animal grazing, he has worked directly with the impact of drought on the region. He has long been involved with the integration of environmental assessments into development planning; this is the ultimate end of this drought hazard assessment. Mr. Jackson was identified by the Government of Antigua as the leading local expert on drought hazard.