School Based Assessment

Geography
To Assess the Natural Hazard Vulnerability of the
community of Grand Bay and surrounding areas.

Student: Elijah Kevy David

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 Table Of Contents

I. Introduction………………………………….3
II. Aim of Study…………………………………4
III. Location of the Study…………………………5-6
IV. Approach and Methodology…………………7
V. Presentation and Analysis of Data……………8-23
VI. Conclusions……………………………………24
VII. References……………………………………25
VIII. Appendix………………………………….. 26-31

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 Introduction

The island of Dominica, situated between Guadeloupe to the north and Martinique

to the south. With an area of 289.5 square miles and an abundance of rivers,

waterfalls and springs. Dominica has nine active volcanoes. Its volcanic nature

accounts for the black sandy beaches, the second largest boiling lake in the world

and sulfur springs. The country enjoys subtropical conditions year-round and the

months from June-December are known as the rainy or hurricane season.

Dominica is susceptible to a range of natural hazards because of its location,

geological makeup and topography. Dominica is very susceptible to hurricanes and

tropical storms, the most recent one being Hurricane Maria in 2017. Many

communities in Dominica are vulnerable to these natural hazards.

Grand Bay is located to the south of Dominica and is vulnerable to hazards such as

inland flooding, landslides, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A Natural Hazard

is a phenomenon that can have negative effects on the general environment and on

humans. I attempted to collect up-to-date information in combination with existing

hazard data, to analyze the potential effects of natural hazards on the Grand Bay

Area.

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 Aim Of Study

The study aims to assess the natural hazard vulnerability of the community of
Grand Bay and surrounding areas.

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 Location of Study

Figure 1: Map of Dominica

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Figure 2: Map showing the study area

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 Approach and Methodology
On the 9th of September 2022, from 11 am to 2 pm the field study was conducted
in the Grand Bay, Maranatha Square, Mitchum, Dubuc, Pichelin, and Stowe. The
purpose of the field study was to collect data on the natural hazards affecting these
areas. The field study commenced at Pichlen and the investigator collected
information on landslides, road edge failure and the flood extent. The next site was
at Maranatha Square, where the investigator collected data and information on the
flood extent. From Maranatha Square, the investigator moved on to the Dubuc area
where additional data was collected on rock falls and coastal erosion, and
photographs were taken. From the Dubuc area, the investigator moved on to
Stowe. At Stowe, flood extent data was collected, and additional photographs were
taken. Along the main road in Grand Bay, the eroded and previously flooded areas
such as the Mitchum and Berricoa Ravine were mapped. The duration of the
exercise was approximately three hours.

The investigator used the Kobo Collect app (free mobile spatial data collection
app) to collect data at each site.

A digital camera was used to take photographs of each site.

A questionnaire was also used to obtain a general idea of the hazards affecting the
areas of study.

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 Presentation of Data and Analysis
Based on the data collected, Landslides, Rock falls, road edge failures, flash
flooding and coastal erosion are the most common hazards that affect the Grand
Bay and surrounding areas. These hazards are brought about by periods of heavy
rainfall and are made more severe by more frequent and more intense rainfall
during the wet or hurricane season. Road edge failure is caused when the road is
eroded and undermined by the action of water. Landslides also cause road edge
failures as well as the blocking of roads and access to communities. Sections of
Roads near the Geneva, Dubuc, and Stowe rivers are susceptible to road edge
failures as well as flash floods. Roads near streams as well as near the ocean have a
high frequency of road edge failures. Rock Falls were only present near areas high
in elevation, such as the Dubuc cliff.

Table 1 presents the hazard matrix to show the hazards which affect each
community most frequently. The map in figure 3 depicts the location of all the
hazards identified in the communities. Several photographs were also taken at each
site, capturing the various hazards identified (figures 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8). The
information disseminated from the questionnaires is also presented.

Table 1: Hazard Matrix

Location Hazard
Flash Flood Road Edge Landslide Rock Fall Coastal
Failure Erosion
Grand Bay

X X X

Pichlen
X

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Maranatha
Square X X X X

Dubuc
X

Stowe
X X

Figure 3: Map of the location of hazards in Grand Bay and surrounding

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areas

Photographs

The following are photographs which are representative of each of the

hazards identified:

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Fig 4: Pichlen River area and bridge

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Figure 5: Geneva River, Grand Bay

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Figure 6: Dubuc River and Community

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Figure 7: Road Edge failure along the Dubuc road and cliff where rock fall
frequently occurs

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Figure 8: Road to Maranatha Square

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Figure 9: Recent rockfall in Pichlen (between the main road to Grand Bay and the
Pichlen River)

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Questionnaire Data
The following data was assimilated from the questionnaire:

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Questionnaire

The questionnaire was used to obtain accounts from citizens of Grand Bay,
Pichlen, Maranatha Square and Stowe who were affected by natural hazards
in the past. The aim of the questionnaire was to have a general idea about the
natural hazards affecting these locations, people’s experiences and their
opinions regarding them. There were a total of 21 respondents; 33.3 % of the
respondents were female and the remaining 66.7% were male.

38.1% of the respondents lived in Grand Bay, with both Stowe and
Maranatha Square having percentages of 23. 8% each, and 14.3% living in
Pichelin.

The highest percentage of respondents at 47.6% were residing in their

respective communities for 20+ years. A combined 38% of respondents were
residing in their respective communities for 10-15 and 15–20 years. 4.8% of
respondents was the lowest percentage living in their respective communities.

Most experienced disasters such as Hurricanes, Floods, Tropical Storms, and

Landslides. Recent natural disasters experienced by respondents were
Hurricanes, Floods, Tropical Storms, Earthquake, and Landslides. Majority
of the respondents were prepared to face the effects of natural disasters. The
severity of the disasters ranged from 1-10, with 9 having the highest
percentage. 85% of respondents stated that they learned from their
experiences. A majority of respondents stated that their community was not
ready to experience natural disasters.

Hazard Data

Based on the information collected from the site visits, the most frequent
hazards affecting the Grand Bay community and surrounding areas are flood,
landslide, rock falls and coastal erosion. Table 1 presents a matrix which
represents the distribution of the hazards observed within each area. All the

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communities are directly affected by flooding from rivers or from dry
ravines. Pichlen is commonly affected by landslides during periods of heavy
rain. Some of these landslides are near the river and deposit sediments,
boulders and trees into the river. Much of the infrastructure such as roads,
bridges and houses in Pichlen has been severely affected by flooding. The
entire population of Dubuc was relocated after the severe floods which
affected the hamlet, during Tropical Storm Erika in 2015. The Mitchum,
Berricoa and En Ba So Ravines are the dry ravines which flow like massive
rivers during episodes of heavy rainfall. They have also affected
infrastructure in the Grand Bay community. Coastal erosion occurs near the
shoreline and affects mostly Dubuc, Stowe and Grand Bay to a lesser extent.
There are areas with serious road edge failures in these areas which affect the
main road. Pichlen and Dubuc, because of the presence of steep cliff faces,
are frequently affected by rock falls. Though some of the hazards can only be
found in some areas,they all have indirect effects. For example, the road to
Grand Bay, Dubuc and Stowe passes through Pichlen and Maranatha Square.
This road is frequently affected by floods and rockfalls and these events
affect travelers along this route. The map in Figure 3 shows the location of
the hazards observed in the field.

Volcanic, flood and seismic hazards from existing maps (Secondary data)

The hazard maps for Dominica were accessed at

https://www.cdema.org/virtuallibrary/. The flood hazard map indicates that
Grand bay and surroundings are at a high level of vulnerability to flooding.
The volcanic hazard map also indicates that these areas are within a very high
hazard zone for volcanic eruptions and Seismic activity. The landslide
Susceptibility map also indicates that Grand Bay and surrounding (especially
the entire road network) is highly vulnerable to landsliding.

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 Conclusion

The aim of this SBA was to assess the natural hazard vulnerability of Grand
bay and environs. It was deduced that Grand bay has a high vulnerability to
natural disasters. It is especially vulnerable to volcanoes and earthquakes due
to it being near a convergent plate boundary, although these hazards have
infrequent in occurrence. Furthermore, it is vulnerable to hurricanes due to its
position in the tropics. Moreover, it is vulnerable to flooding due to the high
annual rainfall. It is vulnerable to landslides due to topography, rainfall and
soil type. . Based on the questionnaire and field data, evidence allowed for an
appropriate assessment of natural hazard vulnerability. The most common
hazards that affect Grand Bay and environs are weather based systems, as
well as road edge failures and flood extents.

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 References

https://www.cdema.org/virtuallibrary/

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Appendix

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