Up to late yesterday the one thing that seemed certain about Tropical Storm Melissa, as it meandered in the Caribbean Sea south-east of Jamaica, is that nothing is certain.

For days meteorologists have speculated about the possible path of the storm as it moves closer to us.

There now appears to be a prevailing view that it will stay south of the island, going west or gradually north-west as so many storms — including Hurricane Beryl last year — have done.

However, other possibilities were not being ruled out, such as that Melissa could still turn sharply north through the passage separating Jamaica from Haiti; or make landfall here.

Fuelling the uncertainty, apparently, is the storm’s extraordinarily slow pace. On Thursday it was said to be going at no more than two miles an hour; no faster than someone walks.

Experts say the absence of tropical storms in the Caribbean thus far this hurricane season may have contributed to unusually warm sea temperatures, which they say possibly explains Melissa’s pedestrian mode.

Slow-moving storms historically cause great damage since there is excessive, concentrated rainfall such as is being predicted for eastern and southern sections of Jamaica over the next several days.

We hear suggestions that such pedestrian weather systems may have become more of a feature of the Atlantic Hurricane Season in recent years, than previously.

Whether that is so or not, Jamaicans readily recall Hurricane Ivan in 2004 which crawled for days “like an old man with a stick” past Jamaica’s south coast causing horrendous destruction and grief.

Uncertainties notwithstanding, meteorologists seem to be of the view that Melissa could evolve into a dangerous hurricane, picking up speed and strength by next week. And, that regardless of its path, there will be excessive rainfall in Jamaica, possibly fuelling flooding and land slippages, especially since the soil is already saturated following weeks of heavy rain.

Given all the talk at the start of the hurricane season about planned comprehensive drain cleaning we are puzzled by reports of Kingston’s major drain, Sandy Gully, receiving emergency attention this week. This is accompanied by complaints of drain neglect from diverse places, including east Kingston, St Mary, and Westmoreland. Surely such issues should have been addressed in mid-year, with ongoing maintenance since?

The Government shouldn’t be surprised if sceptics, cynics, and ordinary observers start speculating if funds were diverted to the recent election campaign.

We also note that Member of Parliament (MP) for St Andrew Western Anthony Hylton has put the news media on the spot. During an inspection of Sandy Gully alongside portfolio minister Mr Robert Morgan, the Opposition MP reportedly suggested that not enough is being done by journalists to expose problems afflicting the capital city’s drainage problems, and the people living on the banks of gullies.

Said Mr Hylton: “I wonder where is the media in all of this? …What investigative report is being done? The bigger story is up the gully where the wall is torn away, people’s houses are threatened, JPS’s installations are at risk…”

Whatever happens as a result of Tropical Storm Melissa, all of society needs to be more attentive and decisive in addressing drainage in population centres and wider disaster mitigation.