Post-Georges Disaster Mitigation Project: Terms of Reference

Development of Inland Erosion Hazard Maps for Antigua, Barbuda and St. Kitts

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 inland erosion hazard will be undertaken for the islands of Antigua, Barbuda and St. Kitts. The understanding of inland erosion hazards gained through this contract will inform the development of national erosion hazard vulnerability reduction policies and measures for these islands.

1. Assemble maps and data necessary for erosion hazard assessment.

2. Derive an initial erosion hazard model for each island for four types of erosion: landslide-related, gullying, rill-sheet and wind-driven.

3. Travel to each island to verify the results of the initial model estimates.

4. Revise the model based on field visits. Produce GIS data, maps and technical and non-technical reports based on the final model results.

5. Travel to each island to present and discuss the results of the analysis.

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 inland erosion hazard will be undertaken for the islands of Antigua, Barbuda and St. Kitts. The understanding of inland erosion hazards gained through this contract will inform the development of national erosion hazard vulnerability reduction policies and measures for these islands.
3. Under this contract, the consultant will undertake a hazard assessment of inland erosion in Antigua, Barbuda and St. Kitts. These assessments are to be consistent with current erosion hazard assessment methodologies and are to consider the following types of erosion: landslide-related, gullying, rill-sheet and wind-driven. The following activities are included in this hazard assessment work:
1. Assemble data required for the inland erosion hazard assessment, including available topographic maps and air photos, geology/lithology, geomorphology, soils, climate/weather, land use, current status of erosion and landslides and hydrology. Where possible, geographic information system (GIS) layers of these data are to be developed.
2. Derive erosion hazard models for each of the four types of erosion. Models for the different types of erosion hazard can be combined where appropriate. The models will be derived from a comparative analysis of the factors that drive each type of erosion, such as those listed in section III.a.
3. Travel to each island to verify the results of the initial model estimates. This verification is to be conducted by:
1. Meeting with the relevant agencies and individuals in each island to collect existing reports and data on erosion hazards and
2. Field surveys. Local experts should be engaged for assistance with field surveys, where appropriate.
4. Revise the erosion hazard models based on the on-site meetings and surveys.
5. Produce island-wide geographic information system (GIS) data layers depicting erosion hazard risk zones in Antigua, Barbuda and St. Kitts. 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.
6. Using the GIS data described above, produce island-wide erosion hazard maps for Antigua, Barbuda and St. Kitts. These maps will depict areas at high-, medium- and low-risk to inland erosion. 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.
7. Produce a technical report of the inland erosion hazard assessment. 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 inland erosion hazards.
8. Produce non-technical summaries, by country, of the erosion hazard assessment. This summary should be suitable for distribution independent of the technical summary and should be approximately 2500 words in length.
9. Travel to Antigua, Barbuda and St. Kitts to present and discuss the results of the hazard assessment to local counterparts.
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, describing the status of the project through the end of the first mission to Antigua, Barbuda and St. Kitts and including the results of the meetings and surveys undertaken during that mission. This report is to be submitted within two weeks of the end of the first mission.
2. Draft copies of all maps and the technical report and non-technical summary, as described in §III. e.–h. for review by GS/OAS. These are to be submitted by 15 December 2000 and can be in electronic format.
3. Final copies of the erosion hazard GIS layers, as described in §III. e. Other significant GIS data layers developed for the erosion 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 erosion hazard assessment [See §III. g.]
6. A non-technical summary of the erosion hazard assessment [See §III. h.]
7. A trip report describing the activities and results of the final mission.

Justification

David Lang is a soil scientist with extensive experience in mapping and analyzing soils in the Eastern Caribbean. He produced the original soil surveys for Barbuda and Nevis and land use maps for all three islands included in this erosion mapping activity.