11 June 2013: Supported by the World Bank, the Caribbean island State of Saint Lucia has carried out successful efforts to reduce the consequences of disasters through the promotion of low-cost community-based interventions for vulnerable hillside communities.

According to the World Bank, growing population, sprawling urbanization, and poor and unplanned housing settlements are central factors increasing disaster risks, particularly among vulnerable populations. In partnership with the Government of Saint Lucia and the University of Bristol, the World Bank has been supporting the Management of Slope Stability in Communities (MoSSaiC), which since 2004, has been implementing a community-based and scientific approach for reducing landslide hazard reduction measures on the ground. The project helps the communities through technical, financial and project management support to install drainage systems, rainwater harvesting techniques and catchments to divert rainfall from saturating the soil and foundations to homes that instigate landslides.

MoSSaiC addresses both the causes and consequences of landslides by advancing a triple approach: science-based, community-based and evidence-based. In particular, the project addresses landslide hazard reduction, which is frequently overlooked, and works with the vision that: disaster risk management pays; engaging existing government expertise for risk reduction can build capacity, embed good practice and change policy; and ensuring community engagement from start to finish can enable community ownership of solutions.

The experience in Saint Lucia also results from the support of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), a partnership of 41 countries and eight international organizations committed to mainstreaming disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) by supporting the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). [World Bank Press Release] [MOSSAIC Highlights] [Publication: Community-Based Landslide Risk Reduction: Managing Disasters in Small Steps][Publication: Safer Homes, Stronger Communities: A Handbook for Reconstructing after Disasters] [The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)]