At the time of writing Hurricane Melissa has taken its menacing curve towards Jamaica and the country is beginning to feel the impact of what could be a devastating and crippling event for the nation.

We have never experienced a direct hit from a Category 5 hurricane. It does not matter where on the island it lands. All indications are that its effects will be of epic proportions. Some would say even apocalyptic. But we hope for the best as its outer winds start to pound the island.

There are several things to be noted as the hurricane makes its way across the island and exits on its way to Cuba as the present trajectory assumes. The first is that people would have taken the necessary precautions to keep themselves and their families safe. As I said to a number of folks, a house that is destroyed can be rebuilt, possessions can be replenished, but a lost life cannot be regained. The prudent and wise person would, therefore, not test the force of nature, but get out of its way when these natural events threaten. Those who refuse to relocate when they were advised, and even begged by the authorities to do so, may not live to regret the decision. A storm of this magnitude can leave a trail of death behind it. It never fails a test.

Second, to what extent will the infrastructure of the country hold up under the immense pressure of a slow-moving Category 5 hurricane? We will have the answer to this question in the days ahead. The Government has been very proactive in its response to the storm. Storms like Melissa are often the best tests of how well or poorly we have been doing as a people in providing and maintaining the basic physical infrastructure that a developing society needs.

With the massive flooding expected, road improvement work under the Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) Programme will be severely impacted. I can anticipate a massive budget for rehabilitation when the storm damage is assessed. At the start of a new Administration this natural event has delivered a severe punch to the solar plexus of the Government.

Third, good neighbourliness must become the defining mark of this hour. Many, especially the most vulnerable in the society will have their lives upended by the storm. There are many who are still suffering from the after effects of Hurricane Beryl. Some would have lost their homes and started to rebuild only to have Melissa make a mockery of their efforts. The mental capacity of people to cope will be severely tested.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will not be an uncommon occurrence in the days and even months ahead for some people. And many are already mentally strained and at their wits end. So it is not only our physical infrastructure that will be tested by Melissa, but our capacity for compassion and empathy and the extent to which we are willing to be good neighbours to those in need.

We will have to come together in one united effort to help each other. This cannot be the remit of Government alone. We pride ourselves in being one people under God. We will find out in the coming days whether this is a mere cliché or an overarching principle to which we subscribe.

I wish you all the best as together, as one people, we rebound from whatever depredations Melissa would have visited upon us.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; Your Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues — on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.

Raulston Nembhard