Summary of changes made to the emergency plan of action and revised budget:
Revisions have been made to the emergency plan of action based on the current appeal coverage of an estimated 35 per cent. It is likely that further additional contributions to the appeal will be made within the next few weeks. The timeframe has been reduced from 9 to 7 months. A further revision of the emergency plan of action may therefore be required once the overall situation is finalized. Below is a summary of the revisions made to the emergency operation to date:
Early Warning & Emergency Response Preparedness: This component will be removed due to actual appeal coverage, reduced timeframe and scope of the emergency operation. Although this is a critical component, the early warning system (EWS) is a component of a national EWS project jointly implemented by the Office of Disaster Management (ODM), DRCS and other key stakeholders. As a result, it is not anticipated that the omission of these activities from the emergency operation will have a negative impact.
Areas Common To All Sectors (Cash Transfer Programme): Following detailed assessments and beneficiary registration, the target number of families has been revised downward from 500 to 300. The number of target communities to benefit from the Cash Transfer Programme (CTP) mechanism has doubled to include displaced families from the community of Dubique. The number of cash disbursements has also doubled and will include an initial disbursement of US$125.00 per family (to cover supplementary food basket items) as well as a second disbursement of US$209.00 per family (to cover replacement costs of household items). Consequently, the overall value of the CTP component of this emergency plan of action will increase from US$50,000.00 to US$100,000.00. All cash will be distributed via prepaid debit cards.
Health and Care: The community-based health and first aid (CBHFA) training and provision of first aid kits have been removed from the emergency operation as many of the CBHFA needs are being addressed via the network of community health workers led by the Ministry of Health.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: This sector continues to be a high priority although constrained by low appeal coverage and prioritization with other planned activities within the overall response. Through effective collaboration with the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company (DOWASCO), the transportation costs associated with the distribution of water to affected areas has been absorbed by DOWASCO. The budget has been revised accordingly to reflect this.
Shelter and Settlements: Shelter continues to be a priority for up to 300 displaced families who have been provided with temporary accommodation funded by the government of Dominica, or they have been staying with host families. The government of Dominica, through the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, will provide 300 permanent shelters for displaced families. It has been reported that some housing has already been shipped to the island. As a result, the DRCS determined that there was no longer a requirement for the provision of shelter kits as permanent shelter is being fully funded through other sources. There is a high demand for additional bedding, which has been reflected in the revision of the budget.
Budget: Changes made include:
Additions:
Warehouse rental charges (including utilities) and related security costs for 4 months
Truck and trailer rentals to support the movement of items from the ports of entry to the National Society headquarters and warehouse
National Society operational support costs for a water and sanitation (WATSAN) officer for two months
Increase in the value of the CTP intervention from US$50,000 to US$100,000
Increase in the number of mattresses and bed linen from 1,000 to 1,500
Reductions:
Deletion of early warning and emergency response preparedness component from the overall emergency operation
Deletion of the provision of all first aid kits for Community Emergency Response Teams (CDRTs)
Deletion of all CBHFA training
Deletion of all shelter kits
50 per cent decrease in warehouse construction costs based on existing appeal coverage
Deletion of emergency operation centre (EOC) training
Truck rental