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The Dominican Republic, located in the Caribbean, is a country celebrated for its rich geographical diversity, cultural heritage, and abundant biodiversity, most notably exemplified by the Jaragua-Bahoruca-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve. Nonetheless, like many other Caribbean nations, it faces the threat of geological and hydrometeorological hazards, with the potential for catastrophic consequences. 

Nestled between the Caribbean and North American tectonic plates, the Dominican Republic is positioned in a region of notable seismic activity. The presence of the Septentrional Fault along its northern coast is of particular concern to the scientific community due to the potential for significant seismic events.

Furthermore, the country lies within the Atlantic hurricane belt, with frequent tropical storms and hurricanes. These meteorological phenomena bring powerful winds, storm surges, and heavy rainfall, often resulting in additional natural hazards like flooding, and landslides, that result in damage to the country’s built environment. 

Disasters significantly influence children, youth, and the educational systems. Data on disaster trends indicate that approximately 175 million children worldwide may face the consequences of natural hazard-related disasters each year. A rapid and efficient response and recovery are vital to mitigate the impact on this vulnerable group and on education following such occurrences. This is especially critical since schools can also double as temporary shelters for affected individuals until the community and families can safely return to their homes, further affecting the educational landscape. 

The safety of educational facilities is paramount, as it directly impacts the well-being of students, teachers, and staff. UNESCO is committed to strengthening schools and empowering their communities to enhance their preparedness for natural hazards. 

In order to identify potential risks, evaluate vulnerabilities, and facilitate informed decision-making processes aimed at improving school safety, UNESCO developed the Visual Inspection for defining Safety Upgrading Strategies (VISUS) methodology in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair on Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience at SPRINT-Lab, University of Udine, Italy. This methodology offers a comprehensive perspective on school safety assessments, addressing multiple hazards. 

Implemented as part of Component 2 of the BERLAC project, this assessment focused on 85 schools across five departments in the Dominican Republic. 

Scope of the assessment 

The assessment covered a wide range of educational facilities, including 85 school complexes comprising 300 buildings, almost 131,429 m² of built area, and a total of 1,152 classrooms. The evaluated schools cater to around 36,184 individuals, including students, teaching personnel, and other staff. 

Key findings

The assessments were carried out using the VISUS methodology, taking into account reference events identified by local committees responsible for overseeing the process. The findings underscored various areas that require enhancement. These elements were systematically categorized across five VISUS dimensions, facilitating a comprehensive perspective on multiple potential hazards: 

• Location: Approximately 5% of schools were found to be situated in high-risk areas vulnerable to landslides and rock falls, earning them a “zero stars” evaluation. Additionally, many schools were observed to be close to high-traffic streets without traffic control, which poses potential safety risks for students. 
• Structural Global: Nearly 46% of schools exhibited significant structural issues in the event of reference events like earthquakes or hurricanes. This category also raised concerns about maintenance and material quality in certain schools, necessitating improvement. 
• Structural Local: About 17% of buildings showed severe structural local issues, and 44% exhibited potential safety concerns for occupants. Issues ranged from structural damage to elements that could cause harm in case of accidents. 
• Non-Structural: Over 60% of school buildings and school yards had non-structural issues that could compromise safety. These issues encompassed damaged ceilings, tripping hazards, and potential fire risks. 
• Functionality: Egress-related functionality issues were identified in approximately 33% of school buildings. These issues could lead to overcrowding and discomfort during emergencies.

Natural hazards can have enduring and far-reaching consequences on educational systems, disrupting the learning process and creating significant challenges for both educators and communities. When events like earthquakes or floods occur, they not only jeopardize the safety of educational facilities but also disrupt the continuity of teaching and learning. The resulting impact on students' academic progress and emotional well-being is a matter of serious concern. 

To tackle these challenges, Component 2 of the BERLAC project introduced an innovative platform designed to assess the risk of education disruption resulting from specific natural hazards, particularly earthquakes and floods.

The province of San Pedro de Macoris was selected as the primary location for the implementation of this platform. This comprehensive tool assessed the impact on both the physical school infrastructure and the interconnected road network. The analysis spanned from a rural area within the Ramón Santana municipality to the provincial level. In the province, a total of 288 school facilities were identified, catering to approximately 80,000 students distributed across 800 buildings. 

The platform was employed to assess two potential seismic scenarios, considering their impact on the existing educational infrastructures in the Dominican Republic. In the first scenario, which simulated a moderate earthquake, the estimated recovery time was 120 days (about 4 months), and in the more severe earthquake simulation scenario, it was 180 days (about 6 months) for rural areas. At the provincial level, for the moderate scenario, the projected recovery time was around 201 days (about 6 and a half months), while for the extreme scenario, it was calculated to be approximately 343 days (about 11 and a half months). 

Three different approaches to strengthen structures in each earthquake simulation were then considered. The first involved reinforcing bridges, the second focused on improving schools, and the third combined enhancements for both schools and bridges. 

• For bridges, considerations involved assessing their types and making changes such as improving shear keys, vertical elements, and replacing neoprene, among other adjustments. 
• Concerning school buildings, the upgrades were tailored to each type. This included reinforcing non-structural walls, enhancing structural integrity by adding new elements, and improving existing ones through jacketing. 

The same level of enhancement was applied in both earthquake scenarios. In the most extreme scenario in rural areas, these changes reduced the time of disruption by 5 days, to 56 days (about 2 months), and 63 days (about 2 months) for each respective retrofitting condition. At the province level, the reductions were 8.5 days, to 79 days (about 2 and a half months), and 78 days (about 2 and a half months). 

The school facilities were also assessed for a flood scenario with a water depth of 0.25 meters. In rural areas, it was estimated that it would take about 74 days (about 2 and a half months) for the infrastructure to fully recover under the current conditions. At the provincial level, the equivalent recovery time was calculated to be approximately 127 days (about 4 months). 

A single approach was applied to enhance the flood resilience of buildings in flood-prone areas. This involved implementing a waterproofing system that included adding an additional layer to walls to prevent water penetration, sealing openings, and installing backflow valves. This standardized intervention was implemented for all relevant buildings, regardless of their typology. 

In rural areas, the implementation of this system reduced the duration of disruption by 35 days (to about 1 month). At the provincial level, the reduction was more substantial, with a decrease of 58 days (to about 2 months) in the duration of disruption.