What on earth?

THE past few weeks and months have truly left us scratching our heads and racking our brains at the unusual weather patterns seen across the region. What on earth is going on?

Storms morphed into hurricanes seemingly in the blink of an eye and as soon as one passed the other island chain, all eyes were once again looking at the Atlantic at another system developing.

Is this the wake-up call for those who don’t believe climate change exists? Or will some of the larger players still continue to deny what is clearly right before our eyes. The question at this stage is, do we throw our hands in the air in defeat or do we do what is necessary to ensure that some balance is restored to our natural environment once again… or at least try?

In 2017, we can all agree that not only is the intensity of these storms changing, but look at the trajectory. One scientist suggested that because of the warming of the earth, we can expect to see more storms in Europe. Of course this was in response to Hurricane Ophelia, which seemingly out of nowhere, gave more than a glancing blow to Ireland. In fact, Hurricane Ophelia has been described as the strongest east Atlantic storm on record. A hurricane in Ireland?

It is always difficult to discuss the death toll associated with natural disasters, because at the end of the day while we see numbers increasing, we must never forget that these are actual lives, not just statistics. However, right-thinking people would appreciate that with a Category 5 hurricane like Maria, one realistically could only pray because the ferocity of winds and the flooding are difficult even for developed countries to withstand. Lives will inevitably be lost.

Additionally, if we look at the economic impact, we can see how these events can set back a developing state overnight. Just look at Dominica. Gains made since the passage of Tropical Storm Erika have been eroded overnight. Certainly, monies that were going to be used to continue to develop projects, now have to be redirected to rebuild the country. Additionally, with so many countries being affected, will rapid international aid be as forthcoming, or even available?

This writer has made the point that even though Barbados was spared quite a few times, particularly this year, Barbadians had a front row seat to all of these storms and hurricanes because of social media. In fact, there was so much footage from these storms that it became difficult for some persons to watch.

Reporters from major cable news networks in the United States could be seen braving the storm conditions, some would say foolishly, to bring up to the second images. However, I tip my hat to them for showing many of us why we need to be thankful.

These intense weather events show us as Small Island Developing States that we need to ask ourselves some serious questions. How will our homes stand up to a direct hit from a hurricane of any category? What will we do if our electricity is knocked out for days, weeks and months? Are a few hastily grabbed canned items the day before the storm be enough to keep us alive in the event that we have to wait on aid? Are we truly prepared?