Barbados secures World Bank support to boost disaster preparedness

The World Bank has approved a 30-million dollars “Disaster Risk Management Development Policy Loan” for Barbados aimed at building stronger systems to manage natural disasters and health emergencies.

The World Bank’s support also includes a “Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (Cat DDO)”, a financing instrument that will provide a fast-access line of credit to address a timely and effective response once an emergency is declared.

This initiative complements the recently approved (November 2024) “Barbados Beryl Emergency Response and Recovery Project”, that supports the rehabilitation of the fisheries sector, Bridgetown Port, and critical infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Beryl (2024).