Bret’s second coming

For many it was a case of déjà vu.

In 1993, another tropical storm, also named Bret, hit Trinidad. On that occasion, we were also spared major damage. In sharp contrast that storm went on to kill about 200 people in neighbouring Venezuela and Latin America. We are not yet sure what will come of Bret’s second coming. But what we are sure of is that several matters should cause us to be concerned about our readiness for any future storm and the changing weather patterns around us.

None can take comfort in the fact that Bret developed with alarming speed. The system strengthened into a tropical storm on Monday afternoon and since this was prior to June 22, it will now go down in history as the earliest named storm to form in this part of the Atlantic since official records were kept in 1851. Clearly, while much progress has been made in terms of weather tracking, systems are becoming more unpredictable. Officials should be lauded for placing the country under a tropical storm alert at the earliest possible opportunity.

However, there appears to have been some problems regarding the coordination of information with respect to school closures, commercial activities, and the Public Service. Over the course of 24 hours on Monday several entities held disparate press conferences and issued a drip feed of press releases giving the public information about what would happen yesterday. It should not fall to individual entities to close operations at their discretion when the Government has issued a tropical storm warning. There should be a clear protocol — to be followed by both the public and the private sectors — once an official State entity has made the determination the country should be under a tropical storm watch.

Such a protocol will mean once the country is put on alert, then schools will be closed in the event shelters are needed and business operations shut down to safeguard life and limb and to allow people to also safeguard their own property or seek safety.

Provision should also be made if this eventuality occurs on a public holiday. There must be an effective communications strategy in place.

In a mark of how much has changed since 1993, for Bret’s second coming many were able to turn to social media. Luckily there was no break in power or Internet coverage.

As the system approached, most received messages from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management as well as videos which were circulated showing the bad conditions on the coast.

Yet, despite the efforts to convince all and sundry that the threat was real, there were reports that some people ignored rough-sea warnings and still headed out.

While these people remained attached to the idea of going to work, others did not need convincing that they should stay indoors.

Indeed, it was never very realistic to expect – as Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley seems to have expected – public servants and workers to turn out to work yesterday in the wake of all the serious warnings that had been issued, as well as the changing variables which we have come to expect with our weather patterns. Many took the opportunity to take back the Labour Day holiday they were deprived of on Monday. Some even resorted to “storm fetes.” Still, it is far better we get an extra holiday than citizens be placed at risk once there are grounds to believe they may be. While there needs to be tighter communications, we commend all the efforts made by the State officials and express gratitude for life and limb.