Estimates of the losses due to flooding from Tropical Storm Ian when it brushed past Jamaica three weeks ago are slowly emerging.

On September 28 Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the nation that the National Works Agency is undertaking a rapid assessment of the full extent of the impact of the rain to determine the need for additional remedial measures.

The preliminary estimate to reopen roads and make surfaces drivable, he said, is $360 million, which might increase a bit more, “but, thankfully, it’s not in the billions”. He promised a further update as soon as it becomes available.

The following day, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Pearnel Charles Jr reported that flood damage to the agricultural sector from rain associated with Ian was more than $200 million and promised assistance to affected farmers.

There’s no escaping the rain and, given Jamaica’s geographic location, we are susceptible to tropical cyclones, particularly at this time of year. So far we have been spared, and even as we pray that we will not suffer a hit from a storm this hurricane season, we spare a thought for our neighbours in other countries in the Caribbean and North America who have experienced nature’s fury.

We all know, though, that we need to do more than pray. Preparedness, as we have advanced repeatedly in this space, is essential to our survival.

Last week we pointed to the unsustainable routine of successive governments spending millions of dollars on flood mitigation programmes each year, only to be saddled with damage repair bills, amounting sometimes to billions, after each hurricane season.

The argument we put forward is worth repeating, given the fact that global warming is contributing to stronger, more frequent storms that increase episodes of flooding. Instead of putting ourselves in the position of having to repeatedly allocate so much funds to repairs, and replacement, we should focus on building out the country’s flood resilience capacity.

That, it appears, was the intention with the construction of the Sandy Gully and Barnes Gully drainage systems. But that was more than 50 years ago, and since then the country has seen growth in residential and commercial developments, new roads have been added to the network, and more are being built.

Given the episodes of flooding that we are experiencing each time there is heavy rain, let alone persistent showers associated with tropical cyclones, it is clear that the country’s system of open drains can no longer adequately serve their original purpose of quickly channelling rainwater from our streets and other open spaces to the sea.

In our discussion of this issue last week we had pointed to the flood mitigation systems built by the Netherlands and Japan in its capital city Tokyo. We acknowledge that what exists in those countries is not inexpensive, but we again implore the Jamaican Government to give greater focus to disaster and risk reduction combined with a flood control system that will save lives, protect property and infrastructure, as well as spare taxpayers the heavy cost of repairs each year.

The Government has already announced several legacy projects to mark Jamaica’s Diamond Jubilee this year. They are all commendable. An effective nationwide flood control system, we believe, would be a worthy addition to that list.