As I watch the trail of destruction left by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, it’s my opinion that this current Administration is out of its depth with how to mount an adequate recovery based on the size of the disaster… and the same would apply to the Opposition if they had won the recent election and were in power.
The scale of this disaster is unprecedented for a Caribbean island like Jamaica and figuring out where exactly to start to help the nation recover is a humongous task. The worst thing that could happen now to Jamaica is if recovery money/resources are not directed wisely towards the relief efforts.
First and foremost, safeguards need to be put in place to ensure accountability for every dollar Jamaica officially receives from international donors, both NGO and other overseas government institutions and the Jamaican diaspora. As a country, the authorities, need to put processes in place to limit theft of resources/aid meant for the Jamaican people the best they can.
After the assessment of the scale of the damage is completed, I think the Government may need international organizations experienced with disaster recovery at this scale to come in and join them at the table to map out a positive way forward, parish by parish, town by town, village by village.
Not taking anything away from other devastated parishes, St Elizabeth, the food breadbasket of Jamaica, has been absolutely decimated. Farmers have lost the crops they were growing, which I surmise is going to lead to food shortages in the country. In addition, the tourism industry, where Jamaica earns the bulk of its foreign exchange, has been ravaged by the rage of this terrible hurricane. The bottom line is that Jamaica needs both to be restored and up and running as quickly as possible while attending to other impacted areas.
In all honesty, this recovery could take decades and still not get us back to where we were before Hurricane Melissa paid Jamaica a visit. So, I would say, that it is paramount and critical to have experienced disaster recovery people at the table, helping Jamaican Government officials to make wise decisions that will yield good outcomes.
Sadly, many Jamaicans who owned private and commercial property without insurance coverage or had jobs and small businesses that are no more because of the hurricane are probably now destitute. What will happen to them, I ask myself?
Other countries that have experienced similar devastation due to hurricanes or earthquakes have often made mistakes on how they moved forward. It is an overwhelming situation to be in, and when you make an error by doing things the wrong way or moving too slowly, it sets the country and impacted people back even more. Government needs to learn from the mistakes other countries made when they were in a similar position and use their missteps as a guide as what not to do.
The affected people of Jamaica have immediate needs. They need food and water immediately and the ability to have access to shelter or salvage short-term shelter out of their damaged homes if possible. If we are not careful, and do not quickly address these needs, we could face a terrible humanitarian crisis in the country.
Someone said to me the other day that the Opposition party must be glad that they do not have this headache to deal with. My response to them was, “Well, it’s still the Opposition’s problem, in that their constituents are affected, and they can’t help many of them at this time.” They may not be in charge, but ownership of the problem belongs to all.
This is clearly a time to put down political discourse and build Jamaican unity. This is a Jamaica problem, and it is going to take both sides to collaborate on how to help all the people of Jamaica. At the end of the day, towns need to be rebuilt, and children need to be schooled.
When it comes to hurricanes and how they have historically impacted Jamaica, let us not overlook the fact that there are many poor people in society who continually get hammered when disasters like this happen. Due to their socio-economic status, many end up making the same mistakes repeatedly by going back to live in “depressed conditions/areas” as they wait for another hurricane cycle/disaster to occur. Granted, they may have no control over where they live, as they have limited resources, but climate change is real, and these types of weather systems will happen again and tear down ill-prepared homes that may also not be insured against disaster.
We need to think outside the box as to what makes sense for the country. Ideally, new building codes should outlaw the use of zinc roofs in new construction projects and promote, albeit more expensive but more durable, concrete slab roofs. Putting up a board house should also be outlawed as they cannot stand up to the tropical weather conditions we are now seeing in Jamaica. Prefabricated hurricane proof structures should be seriously considered for long-term durability over wooden ones. Government could provide grants to help people purchase prefabricated structures.
Despite what I just stated, I know the reality is that many will not be able to afford to make an investment in these better suited construction materials as they will find the costs to be prohibitive. Government will have no choice but to yield to the electorate and let them build back with the same materials that failed them because the immediate needs surpass what probably makes more sense.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results! Jamaica needs to plan for better hurricane outcomes or face the wrath of the next Category 3, 4 or 5 Hurricane that pays the island a visit.
May God bless Jamaica as she rises from the rubble!
