June 30, 2023
Jamaica is highly exposed to multiple natural hazards, including tropical cyclones, floods, and droughts. Jamaica ranks 47th out of 191 countries in the 2023 Inform Risk index.1 Jamaica suffers from damaging winds, rain, and storm surges, especially during the tropical cyclone season. Over the coming decades, Jamaica is expected to experience more heatwaves, more irregular rainfalls that bring heightened hazards of droughts or flooding, stronger tropical cyclones, and raising sea levels. Intensified climate hazards interact with socioeconomic vulnerability in Jamaica—since infrastructure, population and tourism activities are concentrated in the coastal areas—amplifying climate related costs to the country’s physical assets, population, and the broader economy.
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