The intensely active 2017 Atlantic basin hurricane season provided an opportunity to examine how climate drivers, including warming oceans and rising seas, exacerbated tropical cyclone hazards. The season also highlighted the unique vulnerabilities of populations residing on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to the catastrophic potential of these storms. During 2017, 22 of the 29 Caribbean SIDS were affected by at least one named storm, and multiple SIDS experienced extreme damage. This paper aims to review the multiplicity of storm impacts on Caribbean SIDS throughout the 2017 season, to explicate the influences of climate drivers on storm formation and intensity, to explore the propensity of SIDS to sustain severe damage and prolonged disruption of essential services, to document the spectrum of public health consequences, and to delineate the daunting hurdles that challenged emergency response and recovery operations for island-based, disaster-affected populations. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:5-17)
1.Univ Miami, Miller Sch Med, Ctr Disaster & Extreme Event Preparedness DEEP Ct, Dept Publ Hlth Sci, Miami, FL 33136 USA 2.Univ Wisconsin, NOAA, NCEI, Ctr Weather & Climate, Madison, WI USA 3.Univ Georgia, UGA Athlet Assoc, Atmospher Sci Program, Athens, GA 30602 USA 4.Univ Miami, Miller Sch Med, Div Epidemiol, Dept Publ Hlth Sci, Miami, FL 33136 USA 5.Kings Coll London, Dept Geog, Strand Campus, London Wc, England 6.UCL, Inst Risk & Disaster Reduct, London, England 7.UCL, Inst Global Hlth, Inst Risk & Disaster Reduct, Gower St, London, England 8.Univ Agder, Kristiansand, Norway 9.Boston Univ, Sch Publ Hlth, Boston, MA USA
Recommended Citation:
Shultz, James M.,Kossin, James P.,Shepherd, J. Marshall,et al. Risks, Health Consequences, and Response Challenges for Small-Island-Based Populations: Observations From the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season[J]. DISASTER MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS,2019-01-01,13(1):5-17