EDITORIAL
The Hurricane Season which runs from June to November is upon us once again. Predictions are that there will be an active season. Barbadians are therefore being encouraged to not only get ready, but to remain ready for any eventuality, from the start of the season, until the close of it.
Recognising that it only takes one severe hurricane to devastate our beloved island, we should therefore determine to “get ready and stay ready”. – Hurricane preparedness is therefore key at this time. Let us also consider as well, disaster preparedness on a whole, since there are other potential natural hazards and disasters that could affect us, outside of hurricanes. So we must prepare for the whole gamut. This is not the time to rest easy, thinking that we are now at the start of the season and that we will have time to get ourselves together. Indeed, we are living in unprecedented times and we must learn from what has been happening around us, to date and also from what has happened in the past.
No room for complacency
As one key official has so rightly reminded us, there is no room for complacency this hurricane season. Given that we are still in the midst of the present COVID-19 pandemic, we may have to do our business a bit differently when it comes to our preparations, but a word to the wise about planning and preparation should be enough. There should therefore be no complaints this year about getting word late about any approaching system and then having to line up in a lengthy queue, to get non-perishable goods and other hurricane supplies. The time to act is now, as we get ready and stay ready. Thus, there should be no last-minute dashing to the hardware store as word approaches about an impending hurricane, because we have plenty of time to get what we need at present. We should not be hunting to find where the nearest shelter is, when the shelter booklet is already available online for our perusal. As citizens, we should be cleaning up around our homes to minimize potential flooding and going over our emergency plans, to ensure all householders are aware of what to do in the event of an emergency or disaster. – There are simple things we can do now, – to ensure we are indeed ready for this year’s hurricane season.
Now Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs, Wilfred Abrahams indicated recently that, as Barbadians, we are fond of saying “God is a Bajan”. He noted that almost every year, Barbados gets spared the worst of the natural disasters that have devastated others in the region. As such, a lot of Barbadians believe that a hurricane will never hit us.
However, given the unprecedented nature of the events which have befallen us to date, it behooves us to expect the unexpected this year. We cannot rest in the assurance that God is a Bajan, for indeed we can make no claims to God’s nationality. We cannot simply hope and pray for the best. Praying is good, but it must be mixed with action and now is the time to act, to get prepared and to stay ready for anything that comes our way, this hurricane season.