Barbados – Beryl Emergency Response and Recovery Project

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B. Project ComponentsProject activities will focus on supporting recovery and reconstruction in the wake of Hurricane Beryl while strengthening the country’s resilience to future disasters, including and building capacity for disaster preparedness and response capacity. The project is organized in four components:Component 1: Immediate Recovery from a hurricane (US$43.5 million of which retroactive financing up to US$5.32 million). This component will finance activities prioritized by the GoB according to the degree of damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. Activities focus on the immediate response to the hurricane and the resilient recovery of the fisheries sector, Bridgetown Port, Fisheries Marina and affected coastal areas. This component will have three sub-components. Sub-Component 1.1: Recovery of the Affected Sectors (US$28.5 million of which retroactive financing up to US$0.8 million): (a) Financial assistance to repair and replace fishing vessels affected by Hurricane Beryl and propose a mechanism to compensate fisherfolk in the future (US$10.55 million): The project will provide financial assistance to fisherfolk and related industry members impacted by the hurricane to repair or replace damaged fishing vessels and equipment. The financial support will have two windows: (1) conditional grants to boat owners for 25 percent of the cost for repairs provided boat owners contribute the remaining in-kind and/or in-cash repair cost from their own and/or other sources; and (2) a combination of a conditional grant, subject to the approval of a loan to replace boats destroyed in the hurricane. The MENB’s FD, in coordination with PECU, will implement the first window, and the MENB will procure the fee-based services of a Fiduciary Agent (FA) reporting to PECU. The MEFI will assume the credit risk for the second window; (b) Rehabilitation of the Barbados Fisheries Marina and its coastal protection, as well as rehabilitation of landing facilities (US$17.95 million of which retroactive financing up to US$0.8 million): This activity is a priority for the Government, and toward that end, the Bridgetown Port, Inc. (BPI) has already hired a firm for the design and supervision of the rehabilitation of the fisheries marina and its breakwater. The fish markets at Paynes Bay and Oistins will also be rehabilitated. Sub-Component 1.2: Repair and Rehabilitation of Bridgetown Port (US$7.5 million of which retroactive financing up to US$4.52 million). Activities under this sub-component will include clearance of debris in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, small civil engineering works for the Cruise terminal, and repairs to the breakwaters to ensure the structural integrity of the port facilities. Sub-Component 1.3: Climate Resilient Coastal Protection (US$7.5 million). Activities under this sub-component will include design and construction of critical coastal protection works for priority sites to enhance coastal resilience. Currently, the Government has prioritized coastal protection works such as breakwaters at the Six Men's and Paynes Bay sites. Additional sites may be included in the Project, depending on the availability of funds and their feasibility. Designs will be informed by climate-risk data and quantitative decision-making methods under various risk models, including climate change scenarios for various time horizons. Component 2: Strengthening Barbados' Resilience for Future Catastrophic Events (US$5.5 million). This component will finance activities to increase the resilience of Barbados to disaster and climate-related hazards by focusing on strengthening preparedness and response capacity of the NEMS, as well as planning for climate-resilient infrastructure for NEMS, the Barbados Fisheries Marina, and the Barbados Port Inc. This component will have two sub-components. Sub-Component 2.1: Strengthening the Emergency Management Services (US$1.75 million). Activities under this sub-component will aim at strengthening the preparedness and response capacity of the DEM. Sub-Component 2.2: Studies and Support for Port and Fisheries Infrastructure Resilience (US$3.75 million). Activities under this sub-component aim at building resilience to climate change and future catastrophic events of key infrastructure for the Bridgetown Port and the fisheries sector, as well as fostering economic development in the decades to come. Studies include: Transshipment Hub connecting Latin America and Africa, dry-dock, sustainability of local boat building, repair and possible retrofitting capacity, and a new fisheries port.Component 3: Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC)Component 4: Project management. (US$5 million)C. Project Beneficiaries The proposed Project will target the communities affected by Hurricane Beryl, with particular emphasis on the fishing community. D. Results Chain To develop the results chain for the Project, a Theory of Change (ToC) approach was adopted. The ToC in Figure 1 describes the key development issues addressed under the Project and details the activities and outputs that are expected to lead to the selected outcomes in the achievement of the PDO. The ToC also includes medium- and long-term outcomes that go beyond the Project timeline to which the Project would contribute. The critical assumptions or important preconditions for these outcomes to be achieved include: (i) the local and international suppliers of goods, works, and services can meet the demands of the emergency response and early recovery activities; (ii) procurement processes have adequate market response and advance smoothly; (iii) adequate coordination mechanisms are in place among the implementing agency, technical agencies, and local communities; (iv) costs for materials and services are not affected by inflation; and (v) no other emergencies causing significant damages (e.g., earthquake, hurricane) occur during implementation.