Located in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean, within the hurricane belt of the Atlantic Ocean, the Commonwealth of Dominica occupies a geographic position that renders it particularly vulnerable to the destructive forces of natural hazards and climate events, including intense winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges. The last event, Hurricane Maria, which occurred in 2017, caused widespread devastation and left a lasting imprint on the island’s landscape and socio-economic fabric.

Aware of Dominica’s intrinsic vulnerability to climate hazards, the government has intensified efforts to strengthen its disaster preparedness and response mechanisms, including investments in infrastructure resilience and innovative approaches to risk management. In this context, the Ministry of Public Works, Public Unitilites and Digital Economy engaged INES in 2023 to develop innovative tools to strengthen road sector management. As part of the project, INES not only developed and operationalize a RAMS, but also drafted the resilient road management strategy and identified financing mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of road maintenance in the long term.

Furthermore, INES conducted a comprehensive inspection of the road network and its key assets (bridges, culverts, earthworks, retaining walls) to gather inventory and condition data for vulnerability and risk analysis. Additionally, capacity building was provided to ministry personnel on various topics related to road management, ranging from on-site inspections to the utilization of the developed RAMS for investment plan preparation.

INES, who had previously worked in the country in 2017 under a contract with the World Bank related to transport infrastructure risk analysis, will continue to support the government in its journey toward infrastructure resilience.