Jamaica enters the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season on June 1 without the will to tackle the weaknesses that a major hurricane strike would show up or any indication that it has learnt from lessons from the recent past, says Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee, director of the Mona GeoInformatics Institute.
The country suffered massive flood damage in April and May, costing billions of dollars, dislocating budget spending plans, and undermining national economic growth targets, according to analysts. However, Lyew-Ayee pointed out that Jamaica has suffered similar flood damage in the past without remedial action being taken, although the necessary steps are well known.
“The 2017 Hurricane Season is projected by meteorologists to be above average this season, with one storm already forming in April,” he said. “Climate change means that we can also expect more extreme weather events in the years ahead.
“Consequently, our first priority is to implement the recommendations made from past studies,” Lyew-Ayee said. Recommendations were made from the floods reports this year, those in September and November of 2016, and following the Nicole rains in 2010, among others.
Lyew Ayee said that he was pleased to hear Prime Minister Andrew Holness promising that the Government would be more proactive in ensuring that people do not settle in areas that are likely to experience weather-related difficulties and that he would adopt procedures to implement a master drainage plan for the country.
At the same time, Lyew-Ayee pointed out that while similar commitments have been made by previous heads of government, these issues need to be addressed as one in five Jamaicans live in informal communities.
