Good job by Govt to ready public for Bret

When it performs badly it must be pointed out by constructive criticism and when it does well it is essential to give the Government the credit it deserves.

Floods are serious business because they have a direct impact on both individuals and communities, and have social, economic, and environmental consequences.

The consequences of floods, both negative and positive, vary greatly depending on the exact location and the severity of flooding, and the vulnerability of the natural and constructed environments that they affect.

As most people are well aware, the immediate impacts of flooding include loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, and deterioration of health conditions caused by the creation of waterborne diseases.

As communication links and infrastructure such as power plants, roads and bridges are damaged and disrupted, some economic activities may come to a halt, people are forced to evacuate their homes and normal life is disrupted.

Similarly, disruption to industry can lead to loss of livelihoods.

Damage to infrastructure also causes long-term impacts, such as disruptions to clean water supplies, electricity, transport, communication, education and healthcare.

Floods can also traumatise victims and their families for long periods of time.

The loss of our loved ones has deep impacts, especially on children.

Homelessness, loss of property and disruption to business can cause continuing stress. For some people the psychological impacts of a storm can last a very long time.

The Government did what it had to do to prepare the country for the impact of Tropical Storm Bret.

The preparation of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) and supporting agencies began long before Bret was formed.

That preparation and early planning were quite evident, as was observed in the skilful and professional management of the threat of the tropical storm.

The Meteorological Service also played a vital role in the effort to drastically reduce the negative incidents as a result of the storm, working with the ODPM in dispensing timely and regular updates to the public to ensure the safety of all the people, all our property and livestock.

We need to stop playing politics for a moment and thank all those in authority for the role they played in minimising the effects of Bret.

SIMON WRIGHT Chaguana