ECLAC/UNDP team presents draft preliminary report on the impact of hurricane Dean to cabinet

Roseau, Dominica – October 5, 2007….. A team from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has presented a draft preliminary report to the Dominica Cabinet on the impact of Hurricane Dean on the Dominican economy.

The preliminary report entitled Macro Socio-Economic Assessment Report Towards Resilience Following the Passage of Hurricane Dean was presented to the Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Dominica on Monday, September 24, 2007.

The team which was led by Ms. Asha Kambon, Regional Advisor for ECLAC is expected to present a final report to Cabinet within a few weeks. The final report is expected to give an estimate (in millions) of the damage suffered by Dominica as a result of the passage of Hurricane Dean.

While in Dominica the team conducted an assessment of the impact of Hurricane Dean on the macro economy and on the various sectors, namely agriculture, housing, physical infrastructure, tourism, education and health.

According to the draft preliminary report agriculture and physical infrastructure were significantly affected by the Category 2 Hurricane.

The draft preliminary report also forecast that economic growth will be substantially lower in 2007 as a result of the impact of the passage of Hurricane Dean.