With projections for an active 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season, homeowners are being reminded to take the necessary precautions to safeguard life and property.

There is a tendency to wait until a hurricane is upon us to make ready our abodes to face the winds and rain. However, history has shown us that this ‘wait and see approach’ can be deadly.

The passage of Hurricane Sandy — which caused major damage to the local housing stock — should be fresh in our minds. Some 4,000 homes were affected, 365 of which were totally destroyed.

Damage to the housing sector was also considerable as a result of hurricanes Ivan and Gustav in 2004 and 2008 respectively.

For Melissa Colquhoun, policy analyst at the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, “generally from the Ministry’s perspective improving the structural resiliency of homes in Jamaica has been largely ineffective”.

Colquhoun made her address on Wednesday, at a function to declare May as Hurricane and Disaster Preparedness Month, at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in New Kingston.

In light of the current trends and with history as our guide, “a homeowner’s preparedness for natural disasters should rightly begin the moment you choose to purchase a parcel of land, or think about building or buying your house,” acting deputy director general of ODPEM, Horace Glaze, told the Sunday Finance.

Glaze explained that prospective homeowners should ensure they conduct a thorough research of the area in which they intend to buy or build, before handing over their money.

Additionally, he advised that homeowners must assess the vulnerability of the area and make the necessary checks with disaster co-ordinators through the parish councils.

“Some areas are prone to landslides or may be close to a water source,” Glaze said, noting that outsiders to the area may not be aware of these concerns.

He suggested that would-be-buyers “go around and talk to people in the area,” as part of their preparation techniques as he asserted that the “the man-on-the-ground experience should not be overlooked”.

When buying into a housing development, prospective owners should also check to see that the developer has gotten the necessary approvals from the local authorities, Glaze said.

Another commonly held misconception is that if the development is a major one, all I’s have been dotted and T’s crossed. Not so, said the ODPEM boss.

Glaze said it’s pretty easy to check out the developer, and persons should not shy away from doing so.

Checks by the Sunday Finance revealed that persons may access approval information on developments by completing an Access to Information form found on the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA’s) website, as well as through the parish council.

In learning from our past, Colquhoun said while Hurricane Gustav was not as extreme as Hurricane Ivan, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security estimated that approximately 6,971 houses were damaged.

“This was also a significant portion of the housing stock,” she said.

According to her, the houses were damaged mainly as a result of lack of proper engineering techniques to improve structural resilience, a point on which Glaze agreed.

He said: “individuals should be mindful of the areas in which they build and ensure they use qualified builders”.

He further noted that, not only is it important to ensure the builder is qualified, but the draftsman must be knowledgeable of the location and topographical specifications of the proposed site as well.

At least one major hurricane has been forecast for Jamaica this hurricane season. Acting Director of the National Meteorological Service, Jeffrey Spooner said this is based on projections of Colorado State University, which has, for the first time in a long while, indicated that the Caribbean is “in line” for a hit from a major hurricane.

The overall prediction is for an above-average hurricane season with 18 named storms (one less than in 2012). This is against a 30-year average of 12, indicating a 50 per cent increase in the projection for this year.

The question therefore begs to be asked: is your home hurricane proof?