Girls in Laborie use water from storage tanks after a December 2013 storm disrupted regular water service. Photo courtesy of the Laborie Disaster Preparedness Committee.
In this next installment in the Pounds of Prevention series, we travel to Saint Lucia. In early 2013, USAID teamed up with the Laborie Disaster Preparedness Committee to help the district become more resilient to the impacts of natural disasters. Specifically, USAID partnered with the committee to design and install a rainwater harvesting and storage system to ensure an adequate supply of safe drinking water in the event a disaster rendered the public water system inoperable.
As part of the disaster preparedness project, the committee installed 6 rooftop rainwater catchment systems and a total of 18 potable water storage tanks at public schools, churches, and a health center in Laborie. The committee also held public meetings in the Laborie area to reach the population of approximately 10,000 people with information about the rainwater harvesting project and provide guidelines for how the system would work during an emergency.
