Hurricane insurance cover needed - Thwaites

Thwaites

A PROJECTED increase in hurricane activity over both the short and long term periods will have serious implications for Jamaica, as well as the rest of the Caribbean and the United States of America, said the managing director of Globe Insurance Company of the West Indies, Evan Thwaites.

His comments came against the background of more active hurricanes being forecasted by noted weather specialists in London and the United States of America. The London-based Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) consortium recently revised upwards its predictions for the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. The number of hurricanes striking US and Caribbean Lesser Antilles shores is now expected to be 20-30 per cent above average in 2001.

According to TSR, two tropical storms are expected to hit the Caribbean Lesser Antilles, one of which will be a hurricane. For the Atlantic basin as a whole, TSR expects 13 tropical storms, with eight of these being hurricanes and three intense hurricanes. The USA-based National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hurricane Research Division is also warning that a period of increased hurricane activity has begun and will continue for decades to come.

Jamaica expects more hurricanes

"Researchers are not yet able to accurately predict where hurricanes will make landfall," said Thwaites. "However, given the strong likelihood of increased activity over the next decades, it is clear that Jamaica faces an increased probability of being struck by a major hurricane," he added.

Is Jamaica prepared to handle the devastating effects of intense hurricane seasons for the next 40 years? The answer, according to Mr. Thwaites, is no. It is his view that many Jamaicans have been lulled into a false sense of security, which is highlighted by the significant numbers of homeowners and business operators who either have not insured, or have significantly underinsured, their property. "We will be faced with the catastrophic damage caused by the hurricanes, and the long term effect this damage will have on the economy will be amplified by the fact that many property owners and business people will not have the financial resources to rebuild. We are encouraging Jamaicans to take these numbers seriously. The potential for massive economic loss is great," said Mr. Thwaites.

He pointed to the tremendous damage to properties along Jamaica's northcoast caused by storm surges of up to 30 feet associated with Allen in 1980; and the deleterious consequences to businesses after Gilbert in 1988, as examples of the devastation wrought by hurricanes in Jamaica.

Though fewer in number, intense hurricanes cause more than 80 percent of all damage from tropical weather conditions.

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