Dennie Quill, Contributor
SO HERE we are again scrambling to prepare for the fury of Hurricane Dennis. An anxious country waits with feelings of despair fully aware that we have not yet recovered from last year's onslaught of Hurricane Ivan despite the efforts of reconstruction czar, Danville Walker.
Anxiety is heightened when the mayor of the nation's capital is seen to be tearing out his hair because he does not have the necessary resources to put crews to work to unclog drains and get the city ready for the pelting from rains and battering from 100-plus miles-an-hour winds.
For sure we have been warned by weather experts that the 2005 hurricane season was going to be very active. The media reminded us on June 1, that we should start our preparations. The scientists predicted as many as 15 tropical storms this year. Did we think they were guessing?
So why the surprise that Dennis has come to shore in July? And how did we respond to this prior warning? People continued to build houses in flood-prone areas and gully banks, garbage including household appliances were dutifully deposited in gullies ensuring that these will be hopelessly clogged for a long time. Earlier this year we were told that schools would no longer be used as shelters but that announcement was quickly followed by another that schools will indeed to be used as shelters because alternate arrangements had not been made.
CLEAN-UP EFFORT
And what about the Palisadoes strip? Every time I drive to the airport I keep wondering what will happen if storm surges of the magnitude of Ivan attack that important thoroughfare again. We heard a few words from Minister Robert Pickersgill last year when the roadway had to be closed to facilitate a clean-up effort. There was talk about studies being commissioned and Vernamfield as a possible alternative to Norman Manley International. However, not much has been heard since. The Palisadoes strip appears to be eroding rapidly and even the sand mounds deposited last year were still there when I drove by recently.
History teaches us that disasters can be prepared for and managed. If government sees disaster preparedness as a priority it will find the resources in advance of a disaster which will prove to be far cheaper than repairing damage. The focus for us as a country has to shift from repair to prepare.
PREPARED FOR DISASTERS
Many lives can be saved if people are prepared for disasters. Preparedness is everybody's business with the government providing the leadership and driving the process. For most of us our homes will be our disaster shelter so we have to secure the windows and doors and take care of vulnerable areas and stock up on emergency supplies. But there are many at-risk persons who are unable to take care of themselves and this is where the emergency management agencies along with a cadre of volunteers will play a major role. But wait, ODPEM has announced that some of its volunteers cannot be found and are not willing to serve. That is bad news for it is this faithful band of conscientious individuals that make a difference every time.
We don't know the magnitude, intensity or duration of hurricanes, but we know when they are coming. Natural disasters are not all that we have to worry about. Think about man-made disasters such as terrorism which have become a feature of our world. Jamaica will be one of the hosts of World Cup 2007. Have we thought about how we are going to make our country safe for the thousands of fans who will come here? It is by no means an easy undertaking. London suffered an attack yesterday - we don't know who is next.
We must push our government to invest in the technical, organisational, social and business sectors, so that we can identify risks and mitigate areas of vulnerability in order to reduce the impact of disasters.
Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist who can be reached at denniequill@hotmail.com
