Are we prepared or not?

AS IVAN continues its wrecking career across the Caribbean, Trinis may well contemplate their good luck in again escaping the fury of a monstrous hurricane. Yesterday afternoon, as it churned its way towards Jamaica, Ivan had strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane, the most powerful of its kind, packing winds in excess of 155 mph and generating a storm surge 18 feet above normal. Already, Ivan has left a trail of death and destruction in Tobago, Grenada, the Grenadines, St Vincent and Barbados. The fact is, however, as it crawled westward from its birthplace in the Atlantic towards the Caribbean, Ivan was found to be heading directly for Trinidad! This is what we learnt from Chief Meteorologist Emmanuel Moolchan who told this newspaper that when the Met Office plotted the movement of Ivan throughout last weekend and on Monday they discovered the hurricane on a direct path to Trinidad, Tobago and Grenada.

As it turned out, Trinidad was spared, Tobago suffered a glancing blow and Grenada was devastated. But as we ponder on this eventuality, it seems important to ask the question: If Ivan had struck Trinidad head on, would we have been adequately prepared to cope with such a disaster? Indeed, does our country have the systems necessary to deal with the impact of any natural tragedy, if not a first degree storm then a major earthquake? Whatever our fortunate experience has been, the question is necessary since we cannot believe or take for granted that Trinidad will continue to be so blessed as to remain immune to the ravages of natural disasters which repeatedly beset other countries in our region. While it is true that our people receive adequate warning about the approach of hurricanes so that individual and family precautions may be taken, and while it is gratifying to learn there was a total turn out of medical staff at our hospitals on Tuesday, it seems to us that on a national basis measures to cope with a major disaster may still lacking.

This, in fact, is the view held not only by Anton La Fond, well-known advocate for the elderly and disabled, but also by leaders of two promiment business organisations, Anthony Aboud, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association and Gregory Aboud, president of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association. “The experience of preparing for Hurricane Ivan only served to highlight how really unprepared we are for such an eventuality,” said La Fond. He argued that TT does not have “a clear and organised method” of dealing with emergencies and disasters. “If we had been severely hit,” he added, “it would have been impossible to mobilise, since there are no clear, defined methods advertised for citizens to follow. “Nobody would have known what to do and where to go for assistance, since no systems have been put in place and citizens have not been informed of any structured method for dealing with these things.”

On their part, both business leaders have called for an overhaul of the system currently in place to deal with  disasters. According to DOMA’s president, there is a need to improve some of our response mehanisms. In light of all this, the country may well want to hear what the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has to say about our preparedness to cope with major disasters. In this respect, however, it is reassuring to hear Prime Minister Manning say that Ivan’s passage will be treated as a learning experience to fine tune any deficiencies within the system and that his government will now review its provisions for disaster relief in the 2004-2005 budget. Still, whatever may be the case, let us hope and pray that Trinidad will continue to bear a charmed life.