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Stabroek News

LETTER OF THE DAY - Let us work for a disaster-free Ja
published: Saturday | January 1, 2005

THE EDITOR, Sir:

JAMAICAN CITIZENRY is more than familiar with natural disasters. While we are trying to rebuild following Hurricane Ivan, news of the devastating Boxing Day tsunami, with an awful death toll, leaves us wondering how to live with natural hazards. Although many of us do not realise it, we are always paying a hidden natural disaster tax.

The human tragedy along the rim of the Indian Ocean, in the words of Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu, "reminds us that in the midst of life we are in death, and shows how utterly vulnerable we human beings are."

But, amid this catastrophe lies a societal challenge to intelligently face up to the adversities. We should not miss the opportunity to learn from past events and put our house in order, so as not to become the victims of the next set of geologically-induced natural processes.

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN

It is very important that we embark on a national campaign to assure both the citizenry and visitors to the island that, in case of an emergency, adequate safeguard and mechanisms are in place to ensure human safety. We must demonstrate a national commitment to design with nature.

Public awareness and education are key elements in all natural disaster loss-reduction strategies. Citizenry must be continually informed on the existence of hazardous processes in our environment. Jamaica's limited land area demands that although it is difficult, we must try our best to match the use of land with its geological constraints. There is no right way of doing wrong things. It is the simple solutions that work best.

In the first instance, we might consider the following initiatives in the new year.

1. Initiate adult education programmes on living with natural hazards through JAMAL and/or UWI School of Continuing Studies. This will help individuals, professionals and businesses in understanding their exposure to hazardous conditions and steps they may take in avoiding becoming victims of disasters.

2. Use the Internet to provide historic information on time and place of previous disasters, geological and geotechnical data and analyses, scientific information on hazards, hazard maps and their uses. There are a lot of data and information available in the public domain that may be pulled in provided there is a commitment to contribute data and financial support to make this happen. Although not perfect, http://www.mona.uwi.edu/uds/index.html is one such example of this effort.

Timely information will greatly assist private enterprise, professionals, teachers, students at all levels and researchers in their endeavours and help in preventing today's hazards in becoming tomorrow's disasters. Let us work together to make a disaster-free Jamaica.

I am, etc.,

RAFI AHMAD,

rafi.ahmad@uwimona.edu.jm

Lecturer in geology

University of the West Indies

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