After the big clean-up

While we welcome the announcement of the allocation of $25 million as a relief fund for those affected by the passing of Tropical Storm Bret, we warn that more sustainable measures have to be put in place to tackle the problem of flooding in the long run. With Bret being only the second named storm of the hurricane season, we may not have much time before the next storm wreaks havoc.

We join with those who have praised the efforts of public servants who mobilised before Bret hit and repeat our gratitude of all those who made an effort to ensure we were as ready as possible in the circumstances. However, we repeat our concern about the lack of coordination between agencies as well as gaps in the communications strategy of the State.

Now for the clean-up operation.

In the aftermath of Bret, further issues cry out for intervention. It is clear that flooding badly affected Sangre Grande, St Helena, Debe, Siparia, Penal and many other parts of south, central and east Trinidad.

The question is why? Several reasons have been thrown into the mix. There has been the perennial complaint of a lack of dredging and clearing of drainageways. The problem of pollution being thrown into waterways also remains.

But perhaps the biggest factor may be the lax system of town and country planning; or the failure of regional corporations to regulate.

Questions have also been asked about the whereabouts of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in the immediate aftermath, questions that reflect the anxiety felt by those who have fallen victim to this latest natural disaster. A day after Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar toured flood-ravaged areas, Rowley toured as well, explaining he was in Tobago where the biggest impact was expected to be felt.

Far more important that all this public relations pageantry is the need for the State to have measures in place to prevent flooding in the first place and, when such flooding does occur, to properly respond.

We should not have to read of pregnant people being marooned; of tardy interventions by the relevant disaster officials; of media workers being left at sea when accompanying an official State contingent as it seeks to tour the areas affected by the storm.

There also needs to be timely provision of supplies to those in genuine need. The acting director of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), Capt Neville Wint, should not have to state that every item in stock at the ODPM will be accounted for.

That should go without saying.

Perhaps Wint is nervous about whether there are enough supplies to last the entire season.

What can be done about flooding? Do we need more retention ponds? At the very least, the State should rigidly enforce its development plans, taking care to address overdevelopment in upland areas that generate excess runoff. We should also engage with international partners to discover solutions that can work in all parts of Trinidad.

We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on plans and upgrades when it comes to drainage in Port-of-Spain and major urban areas. Some of this expenditure has also been spent on rural areas. Can we find more long-term solutions instead of commissioning new reports and studies every few years? Bret was just the second named storm. There is the rest of the season to go. This was just practice for a more dangerous storm that might come. We clearly have room for improvement.