WE can consider ourselves fortunate to have escaped some of the harsher effects of tropical storm Matthew this week. Still the damages reported are bound to set us back further in our efforts to rebuild our problem-plagued country.
Some of our neighbours were not as fortunate. For instance, in nearby St Vincent and the Grenadines, one death is reported, that of a lad—two days before his seventeenth birthday– who disobeyed his mother’s instructions by venturing into the storm and being pinned by a giant boulder.
Several of the islands in the Eastern Caribbean experienced flooding, landslides, fallen trees, rivers over-flowing their banks, electricity interruptions, blown off roofs and damage to infrastructure. But given the fury of this storm we all can count our blessings that the effects were not more catastrophic. We would like to believe that our losses were fewer because we are beginning to take storm warnings a little more seriously, and with good reason.
This is the age of more destructive natural disasters, the consequences of climate change that have been brought home to all of us of late via very graphic television pictures. The days of machoism and daring where natural disasters are concerned are over and we will test fate at our own peril. Countries too are heeding the advice that is given regularly about preparing for such eventualities. The message that adequate preparation minimizes damage has been proven correct and in recent times, there has been clear evidence that more St Lucians are coming around to accepting this point of view.
Unfortunately, there are still some whose bad habits will persist even in times of disaster, like the thieves who looted several business places in Castries during the storm’s passage. They were helped obviously by the disregard or indifference of some business people who continue to ignore the importance of security for their properties; or recognize the fact that criminals are opportunists who will strike when we are most vulnerable. Setbacks like these, however, present opportunities for lessons to be learnt.
It is obvious too that small island states like ours must continue to spend heavily on disaster mitigation. Although there are international agencies helping with funding in this area, the sums needed to fight the effects of natural disasters are astronomical and beyond the capabilities of these small poor islands that are already grappling with a range of other social and economic issues. In fact, sometimes it seems like these islands are fighting a losing battle considering the cost of restoring infrastructure after disaster damage.
Although the destruction from storm Matthew could have been worse, one shudders to contemplate the present scenario in which funds must now be found to restore certain affected services and facilities. The recent diagnosis of St Lucia’s economy by the Caribbean Development Bank and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank is itself a very discouraging one to be compounded now by Matthew’s bill.
But we cannot throw our hands up in the air in surrender. In past times of adversity St Lucians have demonstrated the power of togetherness and resilience. We are confident that if there is wise and focused leadership we can begin to pick up the pieces again.
VODOU IS NOT RESPONSIBLE
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I was in a Miami store yesterday’s and overheard a white dude blaming the practice of Vodou in Haiti for the various catastrophic events that have occurred there. God, he erroneously asserted, is punishing them.
But it was not the first time that I had heard this ignorant idea. It was said during the period of political upheaval. In the wake of the devastating earthquake, and now for the havoc wrought on by hurricane Matthew.
It is said by black people as much as white folks. It is a position adopted based on ignorance that is underscored by prejudice. A prejudice that has its basis in race and or poverty.
We have never heard that the Tsunami in Japan was caused by the practice of Shintoism there.
Have you ever heard that the practice of Judeo Christian religions advanced for the occurrence of hurricanes Andrew, Katrina, and Sandy, the most powerful and catastrophic hurricanes to hit the U.S. in recent times?
How about when the earthquake in Nepal happened that took countless lives and caused untold destruction was the practice of Buddhism blamed for that?
Pat Robertson, Benny Hin and other unhinged religious nuts never disappoint to tell us that being Afrocentric in your religiosity is a bad thing ithat causes God to unleash his wrath on us.
We must reject any such notions that attempts to undermine our belief that black is beautiful.
They want you to believe that the catastrophic events happening in American is not due to an avenging God because He prefers Christianity. But in the case of Haiti God has singled them out for his vengeance as demonstrated by the many disasters natural and man-made He visits on them. Baloney.
What gets my goat is when black people utter such nonsense. They should know better but sadly they don’t because they know neither themselves nor their history. No doubt with such an attitude it will inform their position on aiding the Haitian people who are in such desparate straights.