After over a week of continuous rain, it is great to see the sun out again,today!
(We started having sunny weather yesterday).
The Flash Flood warning that was over the entire island has been discontinued, but there is still a trough over the central Caribbean, meaning that more rains may be expected in a few days.
Areas that were flooded, like New River in Clarendon, still are...
...It will take a few weeks of sunshine to dry up the flood waters.
If this was the dress rehearsal for flooding, later-on in the year, when we are pelted with rain from storms and hurricanes, later in the hurricane season, then we've failed.
Although there was some drain-cleaning done prior to the rainy season, we need to be more proactive and ensure that our people are educated re the need to keep drains, clog-free from debris, mostly caused by them dumping garbage near to drains, or in tributaries and gullies that lead into these drains.
(Most of the flooding in towns and residential areas across Jamaica, is caused by blocked drains).
We also need to seriously examine the way in which we are doing housing development on island:
To put houses in river beds, on gully banks, or in areas that are sinkholes, is not just bad planning, but a waste of resources when emergency efforts have to be enacted to rescue these persons, when:
1) Flood waters cover their roofs
2) The current from raging waters in gullies, erode the land that their houses are built on and so wash away their houses
...and additional money has to be found to house these persons in temporary shelters.
We know from experience, that rivers do take back their courses even decades after finding new ones, so why do we keep building, in these river beds?
Surely the technocrats and decision-makers in this great island of ours, can be more proactive planners?
Why should we go through the same routine, year after year and never learn from our mistakes?
As Jamaicans, we really should insist that our managers, better-manage our resources and the tax dollars we entrust them!
Gillian
Sources Include
1) CVM Television's News Watch Hour at 8:00 p.m., June 9, 2011
2) The National Met Service of Jamaica Online, accessed June 10,2011
