THE ROAD to recovery after a natural disaster is often slow and painstaking, and the extent of the damage done will further exacerbate that process. Fortunately for most Jamaicans this time, Hurricane Dennis proved more of a menace than a direct hit as it skirted the island on Thursday. Nevertheless, much damage was done to homes and public infrastructure especially in the island's north-eastern parishes.
We believe it is high time, however, for the Government and municipal authorities to identify specific areas vulnerable to flooding, landslides and tidal surges to be absolutely non-residential and move to enforce the laws governing these communities. As the public would have observed from watching how other societies, notably southern Florida and Cuba prepare for hurricanes, there is a non-negotiable forced evacuation when storms of particular strength approach their territory.
In the absence of the kind of coordination needed to move residents from certain locales swiftly in Jamaica, the alternative is for central and local government authorities to insist that specific areas be declared non-residential. The threat to life, and the resultant financial claims are too costly to bear on a repeated basis.
As photographs in our publications over the past few days have shown, many of the houses which collapsed or which were badly flooded, were constructed on the edge of gullies or rivers or in well-known flood-prone areas.
Additionally the Ministry of Transport and Works, the National Works Agency, the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation and other municipalities have to be more pro-active in keeping the island's road network, drains and gullies in good working order. Prior to last week's hurricane threat, there was a significant increase in the number of potholes along the roads in the wake of a few days of continuous rain. This speaks to poor maintenance and inadequate material being used to patch the roads.
In much the same way that buildings are constructed with earthquakes and hurricanes in mind, so should the road networks. The ease with which the roads deteriorate indicates poor workmanship and/or the use of faulty material. It is just not good management to have to go over the same areas repeatedly every time it rains. And with the increased volume of water brought on by Hurricane Dennis, many roads have become dangerous obstacle courses.
Other areas which suffered damage, the banana sector for example, will be more difficult to deal with. We can only encourage our farmers to fall back on their traditional resilience and for the Government to use its extension services to offer whatever practical help they can to get planting and production going again in as short a time as possible.
We all have to remember the storms will come; that we are in the early days of this year's hurricane season; and that we must prepare both for the direct hits as well as the after-effects.
