WE welcome the announcement from Prime Minister Andrew Holness that Government will appoint a committee to review Jamaica’s overall response mechanism to natural disasters and make suggestions to strengthen the system, because the challenges still being experienced by some Jamaicans since the passage of Hurricane Beryl on July 3 should never be a feature of a forward-thinking, proactive society.

Many Jamaicans in the worst-hit parishes are still a way off from full recovery, with no restoration of their electricity or water. And, even with the Office of Utilities Regulation directing the Jamaica Public Service Company to restore electricity to all affected customers by August 12, we fear that some affected Jamaicans will continue to be left in the dark well beyond that time. The domino effect is that with no electricity to pump water at National Water Commission-operated pump houses, this means that many people are also going without water.

“Notwithstanding that we are in the best position ever to respond to and recover from shocks and disasters, there are still areas in which we must continue to build our resilience,” Holness said in his Independence Day message on Tuesday.

He noted that as the country celebrated its Independence,“We must be mindful that many Jamaicans across the island have been significantly affected and may not be able to enjoy the celebrations as usual.”

Jamaica’s geographical location means that the country is frequently affected by hurricanes and tropical storms — its position makes it vulnerable to these weather systems, particularly during the Atlantic hurricane season from June to November. It’s therefore shocking that more preparations aren’t made for these weather events, and that there isn’t more prioritising and investing in resilient systems and effective disaster preparedness strategies.

It is our hope that this is what the committee will address, conducting a thorough analysis of the disaster response, and identifying specific failures and successes. This analysis should involve a wide range of stakeholders, including government agencies, non-governmental organisations, first responders, community leaders, and affected residents to ensure diverse perspectives and insights into what went wrong and what worked.

We also have to gather data on Beryl’s impact, response times and resource deployment to use this data to identify patterns and root causes of the deficiencies.

The committee needs to suggest what needs to be done to upgrade critical infrastructure to withstand future disasters, and begin the process of advisement towards necessary changes in legislation and policies to enhance disaster preparedness and response.

And, most importantly, establish a system for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the disaster response mechanism. Regularly reviewing and updating plans based on new information, technological advancements, and lessons learned from other disasters is the only way to be proactive.

By implementing these measures the committee can help create a robust disaster response system that minimises the risk of repeated mistakes like the ones we’re still seeing after Beryl. This will, no doubt, enhance the country’s resilience to future disasters.