JAMAICA: RECOVERY ASSISTANCE FOR STORM GUSTAV

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KINGSTON 000795 SIPDIS SENSITIVE NSC FOR DRISK AND CGARCIA STATE FOR WHA/CAR (ACADIEUX) (VDEPIRRO)(WSMITH) WHA/EPSC (MROONEY) SANTO DOMINGO FOR FCS AND FAS TREASURY FOR ERIN NEPHEW E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG EAIR AID EINV ECON ETRD IADB IBRD IMF TRSY XL JM SUBJECT: JAMAICA: RECOVERY ASSISTANCE FOR STORM GUSTAV REF: A. KINGSTON 770 ¶B. KINGSTON 761 ¶C. KINGSTON 760 ¶D. KINGSTON 704 SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Jamaicans are again picking up the pieces from the ninth major natural disaster in seven years. Two weeks after Tropical Storm Gustav hit, the country is still assessing damage, but agriculture and infrastructure suffered most. Embassy and USAID staff traveled on September 8 to the three parishes hit hardest by the storm to assess conditions. Blocked and eroded roads are creating difficulties for extension officers to assess damage to individual farms. There are 12 confirmed deaths and at least 30 homes were totally destroyed. Most people have left shelters, but about 90 people still remain. Assistance from other countries and the private sector is arriving and a temporary bridge has restored one-way traffic between Kingston and St. Thomas. The agricultural sector in the eastern side of the island face serious challenges in the near term, particularly the banana sector which was nearly wiped-out for the second year in a row. Preliminary estimates of damage to Jamaica's already ailing road and bridge infrastructure are USD 113 million, but is expected to increase as some of the harder hit areas are assessed for damage Estimates of destruction in Jamaica's fragile agriculture sector are already running at USD 22 million and climbing. END SUMMARY. IMPACT ASSESSMENT -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On August 28 Tropical Storm Gustav caused persistant heavy showers and tropical storm force winds, resulting in serious flooding, landslides and wind damage. The eastern section of the island comprising the parishes of St. Thomas, Portland and St. Mary sustained the most damage. Although total official estimates are not yet available, residential dwellings, civil infrastructure and agriculture appear to have suffered the most. Add to this the expected macroeconomic fallout in GDP growth, inflation, fiscal policy, and export earnings, and the magnitude of the disaster escalates. When the total cost of the damage from Gustav is added to the USD 1.2 billion from the previous eight disasters, the country would have cumulatively lost upwards of 15 percent of GDP. GOJ STATUS REPORT OF DAMAGE SUSTAINED -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) provided Post with updates on the assessment of damage caused by Gustav and current issues facing the country. As of September 9 there are: - 6 shelters are still open being used by 90 persons; - More than 30 houses were completely destroyed and hundreds others damaged; - 12 reported deaths; - The banana sector has sustained major damage; - The coffee sector is still being assessed as it is difficult to reach all the farms; - Some condiment farms and green houses in St. Elizabeth have been affected; - ODPEM's main priority at the moment is the provision of food and temporary shelter. (NOTE: However, agriculture and infrastructure recovery efforts will become paramount once the basic necessities have been satisfied. END NOTE). Agriculture Battered Again -------------- ¶4. (U) Jamaica's highly susceptible agriculture sector, still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Dean last year, has endured KINGSTON 00000795 002 OF 003 a serious battering from Gustav. The Jamaican Information Service (JIS) is reporting that the sector has sustained approximately JD 1.6 billion (USD 22 million) in damage. The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) Deputy Parish Manager in Portland, Howard O'Hara, told JIS that 4,567 farmers in the parish were affected by the storm. He also noted that 20 kilometers of farm roads were damaged by the heavy rains. ¶5. (SBU) Peter Thompson, RADA's Deputy Director for St. Thomas, told emboffs in a meeting on September 8 that an estimated 2,000 acres (mostly bananas) and 1,000 farmers have been seriously affected by the disaster. The shock to agriculture is expected to reverberate throughout an already weakened economy -- facing record prices and annualized inflation near 26 percent (reftel D). The price effects are already being felt at the retail level, with fruit and vegetable prices rising in response to anticipated reduction in supply. ON SITE ASSESMENT -INFRASTRUCTURE COMPROMISED -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Emboffs traveled through the three eastern parishes to see damage to the country's physical infrastructure. The Harbor View Bridge over the Hope River linking Kingston and eastern Jamaica was washed out by flooding. A temporary bridge has restored single lane traffic, but this has created a traffic bottleneck, especially during rush hours. In stark contrast, the two-year old bridge over the Yallahs River, with large steel I-beams, withstood the flooding, highlighting the fact that the extent of the devastation resulted largely from the aged infrastructure. ¶7. (U) A section of the major roadway linking Kingston and the northern tourism belt was inundated with water and remains impassable to vehicular traffic. There have also been reports of extensive damage to road infrastructure from landslides, including in Jamaica's fragile Blue Mountain terrain. The landslides have cut off a number of farmers from accessing their fields and markets. Minister of Transport and Works Mike Henry has suggested that conservative estimates of damage to roads and bridges would be more than USD 113 million. RECOVERY ASSISTANCE RECEIVED -------------- ¶8. (U) Various governments, international organizations, and private sector entities are providing support to the GOJ. The GOJ has established a post-Gustav recovery fund account at the National Commercial Bank for cash donations. Assistance pledged or received thus far include: - USD 26 million from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago (GOTT) to three counties to help recover from damage caused by Gustav. Jamaica and Haiti will each receive USD 10 million to be taken from the CARICOM Petroleum Fund. - Remittance companies Jamaica National Money Transfer and Grace Kennedy Remittance Services (partially owned by U.S. firm Western Union) are waving remittance fees for donations in an effort to increase contributions from the Jamaican diaspora. Both firms have a special focus on collecting funds to assist schools and hospitals. - The Gleaner newspaper reported on September 8 that Bouygues Trauveaux, a private French firm which is constructing a major highway project in Jamaica (Highway 2000) will repair the road in the Bog Walk gorge free of charge. The road is a major route between Kingston and the North Coast; it is passable, but remains closed as a result of storm damage. - The Spanish Government through the Spanish Agency for International Development Corporation provided for a shipment of seven tons of relief supplies. The shipment, valued at about USD 50,000, consisted of large tarpaulins, hygiene kits, blankets and tents. ASSISTANCE NEEDS -------------- ¶9. (SBU) In terms of emergency needs, the GOJ still requires temporary roof covers and water for communities that are still cut off. The most affected sectors are health, agriculture, and KINGSTON 00000795 003 OF 003 infrastructure. The Ministry of Agriculture has reported damage to 70 percent of the banana crops in St. Mary and nearly 100 percent in St. Thomas. They are now going into recovery mode, where they will need reconstruction material and technical support to rebuild communities. ¶10. (SBU) The GOJ is also still awaiting an update from Dr. Marrion Ducasse at the Ministry of Health especially with regards to plans for vector control since there have already been 4 cases of malaria reported. The ODPEM will be sending out summaries on the situation by e-mail and an updated list of needs and PAHO will send Post the Health report that they have already received. USG ASSISTANCE -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Prime Minister Bruce Golding has told Ambassador Johnson that Jamaica has an urgent need to replenish its overall stocks of emergency supplies. (NOTE: USAID provided at total of USD 300,000 worth of assistance to Jamaica's ODPEM to support aerial reconnaissance and the purchase and distribution of emergency relief supplies, first of which was to provide immediate assistance to individuals/families still impacted by the Storm and who are living in shelters. The balance was to strengthen ODPEM's capacity to respond to future storms by restocking their supplies of vital commodities. END NOTE). ¶12. (SBU) To aid recovery efforts, additional USG assistance could focus on: A) Providing technical assistance for assessing damaged infrastructure and possibly assisting in the restoration of farm roads; B) Agricultural marketing and production expertise (alternative crops, green houses) in order to protect against agricultural damage from similar natural disasters in the future; C) Farm inputs, to include planting seeds (fruits and vegetables), inorganic fertilizers, insecticides, selective herbicides and; D) In the longer term, efforts could focus on offering technical assistance to prepare a civil infrastructure audit of the island for long term planning and better coordination of efforts by various donor agencies on physical infrastructure needs. JOHNSON