The Government made the right call on Hurricane Matthew
Jamaica has been spared the full brunt of the effects of Hurricane Matthew, one of the largest and most threatening hurricane systems to have threatened the nation since 2007. From very early it seemed possible that the country would suffer a major hit by the hurricane, but by last Monday there was some sigh of relief that the country might be spared the worse of it; that it would veer more in the direction of Haiti, and that Jamaica would only be affected by heavy rains and winds especially in the eastern end of the island. And thus it was.
The fact that it had veered towards Haiti was no comfort for the compassionate among us. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is still recovering from one of the most devastating earthquakes to hit the region. Many of its people are still homeless. Those who can find a little shelter have been forced to live in dingy, ramshackle dwellings which could hardly withstand a tropical depression, much less a devastating hurricane of the proportion of Matthew.
One of the most moving pictures I saw of people awaiting Matthew’s onslaught was that of a little girl peeping through a little dwelling made from zinc that had cement blocks holding down the makeshift zinc roof. I wondered what might have happened to that girl, her family and many others like them after Matthew’s unwelcome visit.
The devastation wrought on the northern end of the island has been heart-crushing. Often one wonders what the people of Haiti have done to receive such harsh treatment at the hands of men and of nature. They have suffered more than their fair share of what poor human beings have to suffer. Can it be explained as an accident of geography that that impoverished island should be the subject of such horrendous suffering?
There are those who purport to be in such a tight relationship with God that they can pray to him and spare countries from natural disasters. There are those who having been spared who glorify God but give no thought to the incongruity of their prayers since they are spared but other people get killed and their property destroyed. They give a dark and skewed impression of how God operates. We must be careful of that to which we assign as divine blessing.
Notwithstanding this, Jamaica must be thankful that we did not suffer a direct hit. Even though we were not hit directly, the country will still be affected in terms of lost man-hours and some fallout in tourism from people either leaving the country earlier than anticipated or cancelling their visit. Flooding in the eastern parishes has once again demonstrated the poor state of our drainage systems and how inept we are as a country in doing the small things that can keep communities safe.
Also, our shelter facilities that house people in time of national emergencies need to be addressed. Some of them are not conducive to healthy living especially with regard to toilet facilities and general hygiene. There are too many shelters scattered throughout the country and there does not seem to be a clear line of communication and coordination between them and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management. There needs to be urgent integration of these facilities into effective tools that can keep people safe and secure in times of emergencies. The hodgepodge approach that presently obtains and that was shown to be inadequate by Matthew, cannot be allowed to continue.
On another related matter, one cannot understand the gripe of some Jamaicans that they were duped in terms of Matthew’s approach to the island. There are some people who refused to leave their homes, and even Pedro Cays, when it became eminently sensible for them to do so. Many stocked up on emergency supplies and the necessities that would be required in the event of a storm. Yet, especially on social media, some were critical of the authorities that they were not properly communicated with on Matthew’s approach to the island.
I would simply say to those Jamaicans, lighten up and give God thanks that the worst did not happen to us. Meteorological science is not an exact science, nor is its practitioners magicians or divinities. Nature is not always as predictable as it appears. We do the best we can with the humility that we will not always get it right. The information that the Government had at its disposal was given to them by the experts at the Met office. It would have been an irresponsible Government that would second-guess this information and come up with its own uninformed prognostications. They did the best they could with the information at hand.
Our first responders did a stellar job in keeping people safe. Their work and the danger to themselves posed by disasters can be mitigated if citizens cooperate. As much as they want to do their work well, they must not be exposed to unnecessary danger, especially when this arises from people’s stubbornness and recalcitrance.
As money allows, the Government must now see that the basic elements of maintenance of streets, drains and verges are attended to. They must beef up the facilities that house those who seek shelter. An emergency does not have to be a hurricane but any other natural and even man-made event that necessitates mass movement of people to safety.
As the word emergency suggests, these events can happen at any time. We should not be caught napping like the poor people of New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. Preparedness means readiness and readiness means robust alertness.
Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest and social commentator. Send comments to the Observer orstead6655@aol.com.