Climate change is one of the preeminent scientific and policy challenges of our time. Recent climate disasters have highlighted the need to improve the resiliency and sustainability of communities globally. The Dominican Republic, a country particularly vulnerable to natural hazards, has been consistently ranked among the countries with the highest natural disaster risk in the western hemisphere. At the same time, the current physical infrastructure that provides basic services, such as power, water and internet to urban residents of the Dominican Republic is severely strained. As the Dominican Republic experiences increasing frequency and severity of such threats, with disastrous human and economic consequences, there is an urgent need for novel and practical solutions to achieve climate resiliency.

This project aims to strengthen the Dominican Republic’s ability to confront natural disasters through community resilience centers, with the goal of increasing communities’ capacities to prepare for and respond to natural and other disasters. Resilience centers are places that (1) empower communities through ongoing education, training, and health and social services; (2) provide coordinated emergency response in the event of disaster or disruption; and (3) enable effective recovery with information dissemination and research during post-disaster recovery. 

In the first phase, the project developed a blueprint, or plan, for a new resilience center in Cristo Rey, a neighborhood of Santo Domingo (see report below). The plan was the result of a collaborative effort between local government, academia, non-profit organizations and community groups in Santo Domingo and New York City. The blueprint serves as a roadmap for the development of resilience centers across communities in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean.

The second phase of the project (ongoing) has included the integration of the center program into the Dominican government policies and agencies, the development of governance and financing structures, and the launch of education and capacity building programs focused on the intersection of climate change, health-related impacts and community preparedness. The programs built capacities and skills of community members and organizations in the areas of climate hazards, the impacts of climate on health, understanding risks and vulnerabilities within the community and ways to protect their health and those of their families.

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In Partnership With:

• Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC)
• Office of the Mayor of Santo Domingo (Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional de Santo Domingo [ADN])
• Centro de Operaciones de Emergencias (COE)
• American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR)
• Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE)