Chris Tufton
IN THE aftermath of another stormy condition, Jamaicans are again reminded of the implications of lack of proper planning. The heavy rains this week have demonstrated another case of disaster unpreparedness.
With all the predictions and actual experiences, there is still debate about the importance of ensuring that action is taken to put appropriate measures into place in order to minimise the damage to life and property. It's called forward planning but it seems an alien concept to those who have the authority and the responsibility for disaster management.
In this case, as is the case in previous incidents, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is placed into a position that leaves it less than prepared to address the plight of those who are threatened. With another month or so before the end of the hurricane season the agency has only received 25 per cent of its budget, an amount that is already inadequate, according to reports from the Director- General, Dr. Barbara Carby. With a total budget of $69 million and over 80 per cent committed to staff and administrative costs, very little is left to address the disaster that will occur. An added disaster for the victims.
In light of this, one is justified in asking, do we have an agency for just the sake of it or are we serious about minimising the impact of disasters. One cannot blame Dr. Carby and her team as she can only outline to government what her requirements are and hope that it meets with a favourable response. So far she has not been lucky, which partially explains why she cannot do what she would ideally like to do. That is, provide better coordination, more relief supplies and preparedness training for the most vulnerable.
But this is only part of the problem.
POOR COORDINATION
There is the ongoing debate between local and central government as to who is not carrying out their functions to minimise or reduce the impact of these disasters. What is clear is that there is little or no coordination between these two arms of the state and the consequence of this is less than efficient preparedness to deal with these occurrences. A further disastrous situation.
The parish councils have certain responsibilities and this is also the case with central government primarily through the ministries responsible for roads, local government and disaster relief. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to determine that coordination between these agencies is imperative if proper preventative measures are to be in place for the proper management of these incidents once they occur. All of us, apparently except these agencies, understand that to ensure efficiency, they must coordinate their activities before and after any storm.
Take drain cleaning as a case in point. If drains are not maintained then the prospects of flooding from the rains are almost guaranteed. The results: damaged roads and properties, threatened lives and stalled productive activities. The parish councils claim that they are not receiving adequate funds from the Ministry of Local Government to clean drains they have responsibility for, but even when they work with the limited funds they get, the National Works Agency (NWA), either for a lack of funds or otherwise, is failing to clean the drains that fall under their portfolio. Because the drains are linked, the obvious result is that flooding is certain to occur if cleaning doesn't take place throughout the system. This level of inconsistency is not only a case book study of ineffective management, tragically, it is putting life and property at risk. It's a disastrous situation.
LOCAL VS CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT
It is full time the Minister of Local Government, Portia Simpson Miller do more than talk about the problem. She needs to lobby her government to allocate more resources for the critical preventative maintenance measures that are necessary to reduce the impact of flooding. For too long the parish councils are being made a scapegoat for ineffective representation at the local level. If the truth is to be told, it is the central Government through the Ministry of Local Government that is failing to provide the necessary funds to conduct the necessary work.
In the case of drain cleaning, the fact is that no council, possibly except the Portmore Municipality, received the requested allocation from central government to deal with drain cleaning. In fact most received less than a third of what they requested. Minister Simpson Miller must say why this is so and be strident, as I know she can be, on her government to do more. The parish councils also have a duty to make their case to the public and stop taking the blame for the failures of central government.
NATIONAL WORKS AGENCY
The National Works Agency itself seems a disaster that has already occurred. Inadequate staffing at the parish levels, limited coordination with the parish councils, lack of equipment to carryout emergency response and a reputation for untimely payment to private contractors give this agency a less than 50 per cent chance of successfully surviving any storm that occurs. Not to mention the real victims. If the NWA were intended to improve the efficiency levels of the Public Works Department, then it has not done a very good job. The Government might have been able to successfully cut back expenditure through the establishment of this agency, but at the expense, inconvenience, and well-being of the Jamaican people.
Another major problem involves persons living in flood prone areas who are reluctant to relocate when flooding is expected. Many are informal settlements, but there are others that are not. In these cases, the Government has to do more to enforce the law to restrict these developments from taking place and in cases where they are formalised, an appropriate evacuation strategy is required.
Recently, Prime Minister Patterson went to Parliament to propose legislation to forcibly remove persons from areas threatened by disasters. For many of our citizens who occupy what can be termed as marginal lands, ignorant or insensitive to the threat of disasters, this legislation is necessary. The real challenge, however, has been the reluctance or inability of the authorities to enforce the law. The Prime Minister must demonstrate that he is serious on this matter.
In the final analysis, if we are truly interested in addressing the obvious shortcomings in our disaster planning procedures we have to invest much more time and resources in making the process work. Hurricanes will always be with us and based on predictions will continue to affect us adversely.
The last 10 seasons (1995 to 2004) have been the most active consecutive years of Atlantic basin hurricane activity on record. There have been more than 100 named storms, 75 hurricanes and 36 intense hurricanes. After extensive discussions scientists have determined that since 1995, a new 20 to 30 year era of increased Atlantic basin hurricane activity has been in place, particularly for intense (category 3, 4 and 5) hurricanes. So far this year we have seen more than 20 strong systems developing. To appreciate this reality is to understand the importance of addressing the problem.
Dr. Chris Tufton is a JLP Senator, president of generation 2000(G2K) and Caretaker for South West St. Elizabeth. Send your comments to cctufton@yahoo.com or infocus@gleanerjm.com
