The Editor, Sir:

Once again, another hurricane threatened Jamaica and immediately, panic began to overwhelm the vulnerable St. Thomas residents. It is not that St. Thomas is the only parish that is devastated by hurricanes in Jamaica, but is it very easy to see that years after a hurricane, the scars are much more visible in St. Thomas than anywhere else in the island.

Politicians of all different 'colours' make promises, but that's exactly where it remains - just promises.

The Yallahs ford is used as a political football every time election comes around.The many plans to build a bridge over the ford vanish as the election is decided. The Easington bridge is the only link to connect the network of communities such as Albion, Llandewey, Smithfield, Easington and the city of Kingston to eastern St. Thomas when the ford is impassable. That old Easington bridge resembles a soldier that spent many years in battle and is battered, wounded and weary and needing some urgent attention.

No one to tell the tale

As a son of St. Thomas, I would like to see more attention given by government to the infrastructure there. Build proper retaining walls, introduce proper river training and introduce preventative maintenance to the bridges there. If this does not happen then very soon, the entire parish will be like Judgement Cliff. (This is a district near Mount Sani that has totally disappeared. yes, in St. Thomas, many years ago, with only a man and his cow left to tell the tale.)

Hurricane Dean has passed and the resilience of the St. Thomas people once again comes to the fore. However, if government does not put its money where its mouth is, then one of theseyears, after a hurricane, there will be no one to tell the tale in St. Thomas.

I am, etc.,

PATRICK PANTON

Heartease, St. Thomas