Returning to normal? Building back better in the Dominican education system after Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Maria

Abstract

Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction (CCDRR) aims to reduce child vulnerability and increase resilience to disaster events. The 2015 Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF) aimed to reduce risk of hazards to the education sector. Between 2015-2017 Dominica was impacted by two significant disaster events, Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Maria, significantly affecting the education system at local and national scales. Since Hurricane Maria a variety of national initiatives (Safer Schools and Smart schools) have been implemented to increase school resilience and meet the aims of the CSSF. Four years after Hurricane Maria, this paper assesses the progress made in achieving the initiative aims through qualitative analysis of interviews with school leaders, government officials and disaster risk reduction stakeholders (N=29) in a longitudinal study. Implementation of the climate resilience programme in 2018, resulted in nationwide teacher training and production of school disaster plans. Limited successes have led to improved social resilience, however, a short-term implementation due to COVID and a lack of teacher knowledge base has presented challenges in the long-term sustainability of the scheme and implementation of the CSSF aims.