In 2007, the Dominican Republic was hit by two powerful tropical storms that not only left thousands of families homeless and damaged crops, but also destroyed the better part of country’s infrastructure, including roads, bridges, electricity networks, and irrigation systems.
With the help of World Bank-funded Emergency Recovery and Disaster Management Project, the national government is rebuilding the country’s national electricity, irrigation and water supply sectors. It is also strengthening its government agencies’ capacity to manage water and electricity resources in order to mitigate potential effects of future emergencies. As these agencies update contingency plans and increase their risk management capacity, this project is illustrative of climate adaptation support in storm-vulnerable tropical areas.