Marooned Matelot

Did a hurricane pass over this coastal region undetected? ‘Why such damage?’ seems both a significant and fair question. One can only imagine what would have happened in Matelot and the other villages if they faced a tropical storm or hurricane.

This situation is indeed a wake-up call for the State, civil society as well as for present and former residents on the north coast. There are parallels between this situation and the passage of Hurricane Matthew that lashed Haiti and south Florida. With the passage of the hurricane in these two places the outcome was vastly different. The areas affected in south Florida recovered fairly quickly; Haiti is still counting its huge losses.

Similarly, torrential rain in Arima or Port-of- Spain may not leave the devastation that was left in Matelot. What is the common denominator between Trinidad’s north coast and Haiti? The answer is: neglect and consequent poor infrastructure that render a community very vulnerable to natural disasters.

People must be prepared for natural disasters but the basic infrastructure of a country or village must be ready. Since neither a tropical storm nor hurricane hit the north coast, the significant damage there must mean that the infrastructure was not strong enough to resist the winds, rain and floods that did come.

Were the bridges and retaining walls strong enough and properly maintained? Were the roads properly maintained? Were trees periodically trimmed? These are questions the Regional Corporation, central government and the residents themselves must ask.

There is a relationship between poor infrastructure and maintenance and the devastating effects that a natural disaster has on a community. It is not enough to say the weather was beyond our control. That is being grossly irresponsible. What is in our control is the amount of money spent in areas with sparse populations.

The people of Matelot, Sans Souci, Montevideo, Grande Riviere and Toco are just as important as the people of Arima, Diego Martin and San Fernando.

What should guide spending on development and maintenance of basic infrastructure is not population density, but the dignity and worth of people and every person. This is basic Catholic Social Teaching. North coast development matters; north coast villages matter; north coast lives matter! The central and local government must be challenged to keep rural development at the forefront of national development.

There is a simple question we can ask in Trinidad and Tobago to determine our priorities with respect to urban and rural development. What is the profile on the national landscape of the Urban Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago compared to its counterpart the Rural Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago? Something to think about.

In the meantime while we re-focus on the needs of vulnerable rural communities, the present and ex-residents of the north coast must also do all in their power to