Dominica is a mountainous island on the path of Atlantic hurricanes. Knowing the history of its storms and the country's resilience plan is part of knowing the country whose citizen you become. The information in this article comes from a World Bank report and the Government of Dominica's post-disaster needs assessment, checked on 24 October 2026.
Hurricane Maria
- Hurricane Maria reached Dominica on 18 September 2017 and rapidly intensified to category 5.
- According to the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) carried out by the Government of Dominica with international partners, damage and losses were about US$1.3 billion, equal to about 226 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.
- According to the same assessment, housing was hit hardest.
The goal: the first climate-resilient nation
On 23 September 2017, Dominica's Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, told the UN General Assembly that Dominica would become "the world's first climate resilient nation". The World Bank notes that Dominica was already on this path before the announcement.
The executing body: CREAD
The Climate Resilience Executing Agency for Dominica (CREAD) was set up to take this plan forward. According to the World Bank, it is working on a data-sharing law and on setting up a geographic information system (GIS) unit.
Examples of the work done
According to the World Bank report (September 2023):
- the network of weather stations grew from two airport sites to 44 stations, and seismic monitoring was restored after Maria;
- the meteorological service's building was designed to withstand major earthquakes and category 5 hurricanes;
- in 2020 eight water tanks with more than one million litres of capacity were built, serving about 15 per cent of the population;
- the 31-kilometre East Coast Road is being rebuilt with new bridges, culverts and retaining walls;
- native plants are being planted to stabilise slopes.
What this means for new citizens
- Contributions to the Economic Diversification Fund are part of the government's revenue. Which projects this revenue is spent on is the Government of Dominica's decision.
- If you buy property in Dominica or plan to live there, take the Atlantic hurricane season and building standards into account and look at suitable insurance.
This article is general information.
Sources
- World Bank, "Dominica's Journey to become the World's First Climate Resilient Country" (26 September 2023) — https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2023/09/26/dominica-s-journey-to-become-the-world-s-first-climate-resilient-country (checked on 24 October 2026)
- GFDRR, Dominica post-disaster needs assessment following Hurricane Maria — https://www.gfdrr.org/en/publication/dominica-post-disaster-needs-assessment-following-hurricane-maria (via the search index; checked on 24 October 2026)