Post-Hurricane Research and Assessment of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean

The U. S. Caribbean and many other island nations throughout the region suffered catastrophic damage to communities, infrastructure, farms, and forests during September 2017 hurricane events. To better understand the effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on agriculture, forestry, and rural communities in the U.S. Caribbean and the internal and external factors that affected their vulnerabilities or resilience, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Forest Service and Caribbean Climate Hub (CCH), request permission to conduct focus groups and in-depth interviews to collect information from farmers, forest owners, and other agriculture and forestry community members about their experiences with, preparations for, responses to, and recovery from these storms. Results from the proposed research will inform natural disaster and disturbance prediction, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts by USDA, Forest Service, and other Federal agencies, as well as related local government, civil society, private sector, and community efforts. In the short term, results from this information collection will be critical in informing ongoing post-hurricane response and recovery efforts by USDA and its partners. In the long term, knowledge generated will contribute to reducing societal costs from disturbance processes, increasing cost-effective management, mitigation, and adaptation efforts, and supporting more resilient communities and economies in the U.S. Caribbean and broader contexts.

The latest form for Post-Hurricane Research and Assessment of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean expires 2022-02-28 and can be found here.

Focus Group Guide

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Disaster Management - Disaster Preparedness and Planning