EDITORIAL
By now, many Barbadians have seen via social media the carnage wrought by Hurricane Irma on the northern Leeward Islands. Photographs and videos of howling winds, pounding rain, heavy flooding, topographical and infrastructural damage lay bare just how dangerous the Category 5 hurricane is. Ten persons to date are sadly known to have died during the storm’s passage, with officials in some of the hardest hit islands offering the grim assessment that more deaths are likely to be recorded. These unfortunate events must sway, even the most carefree of us, to be on guard and prepared during the season especially during the coming weeks, since this period marks the most active time span of the Atlantic hurricane season.
To date, there are three active hurricanes in this hemisphere, but Irma is the only one currently responsible for severe destruction and loss of life. Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Barthélemy and Barbuda have been hardest hit, with Barbuda and St. Martin almost completely devastated. Adding salt to the wound, Hurricane Jose is predicted to follow Irma’s path, which will only compound the misery experienced by our neighbours after Irma’s pounding.
If one followed the reports from local and international meterological officials, Irma is one for the record books. Among other things, it is one of the longest living Category 5 storms and has the longest intensity ever recorded in any storm on the planet by maintaining sustained wind speeds of 185 miles per hour for at least 33 hours to date. Those who believe in climate change suggest that in the future storms of this magnitude will be the norm instead of the exception.
However, the very real devastation these countries experienced should tell us that this is nothing to chance. In fact, though Barbados was not in immediate threat, we still felt the effects of Irma’s passage, with a water surge that temporarily closed Wharf Road and high winds that blew off the roof on a house in Christ Church.
Every year, officials urge hurricane preparedness and practically every year we have a close shave or direct hit from a tropical storm, perhaps even a brush from a hurricane. However, that is the extent of our experiences since many Barbadians have never lived through a storm of that intensity; Janet in 1955 is the closest historical memory. Unfortunately, perhaps that has left us all too lackadaisical when it comes to storm readiness since there has been no widespread damage and loss of life. The stories of Barbudans who survived the storm, for example, illustrate the dangers posed when roofs are lost during the high winds, where people literally clung to doors or hid in bathrooms to save their lives.
For now, we observe our neighbours with concern and express a willingness to assist with official relief efforts. Irma’s path is not over; the Turks and Caicos and The Bahamas currently bear its brunt, while Cuba and southern Florida await its reckoning. However, this Information Age of real-time updates, videos and photographs reveals to us the horrors posed by strong weather systems. Though our geography and the earth’s rotation have largely spared us from similar damage, it really is a matter of when, not if, our island with its flat topography, susceptible buildings and roads, will be affected. Hurricane preparedness, therefore, is a topic we would do well to explore to the fullest.