Elizabeth Morgan | After Melissa: Have we weathered the storm and passed the worst?

LAST WEEK in this column, we were anticipating the arrival of the unknown quantity for Jamaica, Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, and lamenting our national disregard for consistent, proper maintenance of buildings/infrastructure in the public and private sectors. So, Melissa arrived with vengeance, packing winds of 185 miles per hour at her core, and exposed all our vulnerabilities.

In everything, there is a blessing. Melissa’s eye went through one of the narrower widths of Jamaica, making landfall in the area, it seems, near Whitehouse in Westmoreland and exited the country near what seems to be Duncans in Trelawny. Given the size of Melissa, wind bands affected the entire island. The path over land took the full force of the most ferocious winds. Given its journey southwest, at a point about 130 miles offshore, before turning northwest, on this occasion, Kingston and St Andrew, in the southeast, experienced about Category 1 hurricane-force winds.

But, can you imagine if Melissa had taken the path of Hurricane Gilbert 37 years ago, traversing Jamaica from east to west, engulfing the entire country? One cannot think of where Jamaica would be today from the enormity of that islandwide destruction. Thankfully, she took a shortcut, but still left tremendous damage and distress in her wake, mainly in the west.

The shock was the obliteration of the town of Black River with its beautiful historic buildings, many dating to the post-Emancipation logwood boom. A major shock was the total collapse of the impressive brick-built 188-year-old St John’s Anglican Parish Church. It was reduced nearly to rubble to show the destructive force of the wind.

In the path of destruction, many people/communities have lost everything; their homes, businesses, churches, schools, hospitals, civic buildings, vehicles, crops, livestock, poultry, and vegetation – all gone in a matter of about five hours of the most intense winds. People, though distraught, are thankful for life. Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine and a few other parishes, though experiencing damage, may revive quite quickly.

We do hope and pray that the hurricane season is winding down and we will be spared any more natural disasters.

HAVE WE WEATHERED THE STORM?

This comment was heard on Sunday, when at a Kingston location, it was said to the gathering, “Well, you have weathered the storm.” Is this actually so? Many people, even those in Kingston and St Andrew, have not weathered the storm. Even if damage to property was minimal, it took a mental toll – the long wait, wondering will she or won’t she, then the relentless eerie wind, and then viewing the destruction left behind. This is a difficult time for many people who have not experienced a full-blown hurricane making landfall. The last was 37 years ago.

People in the parishes of Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, St James, Hanover and Trelawney, the theatre of destruction, have not weathered the storm. They are now victims of it – the tempest which engulfed them and took everything. They are without shelter, potable water, food, and proper sanitation. They cannot communicate. There is no electricity. There are deaths. There is insecurity.

While trying to put the best face on it, they are in despair. They are vulnerable. They are fearful, though aid might be coming in. Some Jamaicans are very proud, they do not like ‘freeness’ (charity) and being dependent. They do not like being victims. They value their independence. Though efforts are being made to lift spirits, to speak of the mercy of God, of the resilience of Jamaicans, and to spread the message that Jamaica will rise again, ‘the dutty look very tuff’ at this moment.

HAVE WE PASSED THE WORST?

The answer to this on any questionnaire would be no. The worse is with us and the worst could be to come, if this recovery is not handled well.

There has to be unity in providing hurricane relief to all in need. It has to be well organised and orderly. Discipline in distress is required. The relief provisions and funds have to be properly managed, allocated and accounted for.

People need assistance in restoring their lives – restoring electricity and other utilities; rebuilding their homes; recovering livelihoods; getting children back into education; and controlling crime, so that people can have some sense of security. Remember that hunger and frustration can make people very angry and rebellious.

The western parishes are important to the country’s economy, being a main centre of agriculture and tourism. Both sectors, agriculture and tourism, will take a while to fully recover. The peak tourism season would be scheduled to start in December. The loss of agricultural crops, poultry, and livestock means that there will be scarcity and increased prices. Christmas may not be for many as it was planned. So, it is evident that there will be a blow to the economy, even if financial aid comes in and increased remittances. Building back requires a lot in investments in the long term.

So, we have not passed the worst. Our hope has to be that with patience, discipline, unity, and determination, as a nation, we will get through, and we will get past the worse, and avoid the worst. We came through Hurricane Gilbert, 37 years ago, and we can get through Melissa. Disasters provide opportunities, and, in this case, we have to be determined to build back better, not just making this an empty slogan, and to ensure that preparation and maintenance are prioritised. One can do their best, even facing a Category 5 hurricane.

Elizabeth Morgan is a specialist in international trade policy and international politics. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.