Tropical cyclone (TC) Harold, a category 4 cyclone, struck Fiji on 8 and 9 April 2020. With average hurricane force winds over 170 km/h and gusts up to 240 km/h, the cyclone caused widespread destruction across the Central, Eastern, and Western divisions in Fiji. Many small and remote islands lay in the direct path of TC Harold. It is estimated that more than 182,500 people in Fiji (or around 20% of the population) were directly affected. Destructive winds, storm surges and flooding from TC Harold destroyed villages, homes and government buildings, and severely damaged agriculture and infrastructure, including for water supply, waste and sanitation, electricity, and communications. An estimated 90% of crops have been destroyed in the most affected areas, leaving families with no alternative food source. Outbreaks of typhoid, leptospirosis, and dengue fever have been identified by the Ministry of Health as a major concern.
| Project Name | Tropical Cyclone Harold Emergency Response Project | ||||
| Project Number | 54229-001 | ||||
| Country | Fiji |
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| Project Status | Active | ||||
| Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Grant |
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| Source of Funding / Amount |
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| Strategic Agendas | Environmentally sustainable growth Inclusive economic growth |
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| Drivers of Change | Governance and capacity development Private sector development |
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| Sector / Subsector | Public sector management / Public expenditure and fiscal management |
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| Gender Equity and Mainstreaming | No gender elements | ||||
| Description | Tropical cyclone (TC) Harold, a category 4 cyclone, struck Fiji on 8 and 9 April 2020. With average hurricane force winds over 170 km/h and gusts up to 240 km/h, the cyclone caused widespread destruction across the Central, Eastern, and Western divisions in Fiji. Many small and remote islands lay in the direct path of TC Harold. It is estimated that more than 182,500 people in Fiji (or around 20% of the population) were directly affected. Destructive winds, storm surges and flooding from TC Harold destroyed villages, homes and government buildings, and severely damaged agriculture and infrastructure, including for water supply, waste and sanitation, electricity, and communications. An estimated 90% of crops have been destroyed in the most affected areas, leaving families with no alternative food source. Outbreaks of typhoid, leptospirosis, and dengue fever have been identified by the Ministry of Health as a major concern. A state of natural disaster was declared for the affected divisions in Fiji on 12 April 2020. The NDMO is coordinating and monitoring relief efforts which are being undertaken by government agencies and local and international nongovernmental organizations. This has been particularly challenging given the remoteness of affected islands, travel restrictions due to COVID-19 outbreak, disruption to communication channels, limited number of boat vessels undertaking assessments, and stretched human resources. |
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| Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | The damage caused by TC Harold is of a scale beyond government's resources capacity to restore life-sustaining services to the affected population in a reasonable time. The response to the cyclone is especially challenging due to the wide geographical spread of the cyclone-affected areas and is further compounded by the COVID-19 outbreak, which is hindering the movement of people and supplies. The return to daily life will be slow and an additional burden on households, requiring extra expenditures at a time when incomes have been lost or reduced due to the effect of COVID-19 on Fiji's economy. The impact of TC Harold will have significant long-term social, psychological, and economic impacts on the affected population, which is highly reliant on subsistence farming for food security and livelihoods. | ||||
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| Description of Outcome | |
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| Description of Project Outputs | |
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| Geographical Location | Nation-wide |
| Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
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| Involuntary Resettlement | |
| Indigenous Peoples | |
| Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
| During Project Design | |
| During Project Implementation | |
| Responsible ADB Officer | Olsson, Sivou Beatrice |
| Responsible ADB Department | Pacific Department |
| Responsible ADB Division | Pacific Subregional Office in Suva, Fiji |
| Executing Agencies |
Ministry of Economy Level 5x Ro Lalabalavu House 370 Victoria Parade Suva, Fiji |
| Timetable | |
|---|---|
| Concept Clearance | - |
| Fact Finding | 22 Apr 2020 to 22 Apr 2020 |
| MRM | 04 Jun 2020 |
| Approval | 28 Apr 2020 |
| Last Review Mission | - |
| Last PDS Update | 28 Apr 2020 |
Grant 0697-FIJ
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 28 Apr 2020 | 07 May 2020 | 07 May 2020 | 07 Nov 2020 | - | - |
| Financing Plan | Grant Utilization | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (Amount in US$ million) | Date | ADB | Others | Net Percentage | |
| Project Cost | 0.40 | Cumulative Contract Awards | |||
| ADB | 0.40 | 28 Apr 2020 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0% |
| Counterpart | 0.00 | Cumulative Disbursements | |||
| Cofinancing | 0.00 | 28 Apr 2020 | 0.40 | 0.00 | 100% |
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| Title | Document Type | Document Date |
|---|---|---|
| Grant Agreement (Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund) for Grant 0697-FIJ: Tropical Cyclone Harold Emergency Response Project | Grant Agreement | May 2020 |
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