EDITORIAL
Disasters come in all forms and fashions and certainly the events of November 18, and November 19, which saw the island being affected by island wide power and water outages, can be labelled as disastrous. What these events should teach us nonetheless, is how to be more resilient.
Indeed, when a severe weather system is approaching the island, we get an advanced warning and we can mobilise to suit. However, the power cuts and subsequent water outages left many Barbadians scrambling to adjust to such a taxing reality. Many Barbadians had to resort to traditions from their former days, for example, pressing their clothes with a heated iron on the stove, or heating water for children to bathe in a tub. Others had to adjust their schedules to allow them to function under the load sharing exercise Barbados Light & Power Company Limited put into operation, and subsequently adjust to suit the operations of the Barbados Water Authority. We did not and never could anticipate such unprecedented events, given our history. Nonetheless, what we know now, is that we certainly must as a people seek ways to become more resilient in the face of any disastrous event, for indeed we are at the close of the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season and we have now a taste of what it could be like, living without water and electricity for an extended period of time.
Whilst the onus falls on the relevant parties to get it right and to work to ensure that solutions are found going forward to mitigate against such events taking place again, we the Barbadian public must not once again enter into complacency mode. This is the time perhaps for renewable energy advocates to share with the country how they can rely more on alternative sources of energy, instead of power from the grid. Indeed, we saw that many who had generators and power inverters and other technological gadgets, fared much better than those who had no clue about such devices. The technologically inclined were able to power up and keep going. Those who had water stored indoors or in their water tanks, had an advantage on those who did not. Thus, we must ensure that the wider public is made more aware of how they can withstand such a treacherous period again, even if it comes in a different form.
Resilience must become the new buzz word, even as the Hurricane Season winds down. For we are living in times where the unexpected occurs and we must build skills to survive hardship. As the Mayo Clinic puts it, “Resilience means being able to adapt to life’s misfortunes and setbacks. When you have resilience, you harness inner strength, that helps you rebound from a setback or challenge.”
Resilience certainly won’t make our problems go away, but resilience can give us the ability to work past them and better handle stress and better protect our physical and mental health.
So let’s hear it from the relevant authorities, how we can become a more resilient people, so we can better face any disaster that may come our way. There are many lessons to learn from our Caribbean neighbours as well, who have had to learn the art of resilience. Our ears should be wide open, to also learn from them.