Patterns of hurricane induced displacement in The Bahamas: Building equitable resilience in small island developing states

Abstract

The extent and severity of disaster displacement in small island developing states (SIDS) often go unreported or underreported in global assessments due to the total number of affected people falling below established thresholds. Additionally, post-disaster assessments prepared by various international relief agencies often present conflicting evidence, and largely do not offer substantial insights into national and subnational spatial and temporal patterns of displacement, particularly with respect to the disproportionate risk that certain localities, communities and populations face over time. This article is a case study of hurricane induced displacement in a Caribbean SIDS – The Bahamas. It triangulates data from a publicly-available global disaster database, weather and post-disaster reports from national government departments and agencies, and newspaper articles. Its qualitative-dominant synthesis represents the best available evidence of hurricane risk across the archipelago between 2004 and 2019, organized according to hazard (winds, storm surge, flooding), exposure (people, livelihoods, assets etc. adversely affected), and vulnerability (the propensity or predisposition for adverse impacts). It finds that 11 hurricanes across three periods caused displacement in one or more of the 17 major islands. In identifying the emerging spatial and temporal patterns, it proposes two alternative core-periphery models for The Bahamas. These models not only provide a more accurate account of the islands’ exposure and sensitivity to hurricanes, but also highlight the geographical factors that should be considered as the basis for future plans, actions, strategies or policies that seek to build equitable resilience to these and other climate-amplified hydrometeorological events in SIDS.