On first assessment, it appears that the effects of Gustav, the tropical storm that sideswiped Jamaica between Thursday and Friday, was not as bad as it might have been.

Bridges were damaged or destroyed by swollen rivers, which, in several areas, particularly in eastern Jamaica, flooded large swathes of land to the detriment of crops and people's homes. At least 11 people were killed, largely because of floods.

At the bottom line, Gustav has caused problems, but appears not to have totally derailed the Government's economic programme, although further and better particulars are required on this count.

But there is a lesson from this hurricane; that same one that has been offered by the storms that have caused Jamaica so much social and economic grief in recent years. We do best when we are prepared.

In that context, we expect our officials to suggest that we were able to describe post-Gustav circumstances as we have because they were prepared. And perhaps they will be right, but only partially.

Indeed, the Corporate Area of Kingston and St Andrew, particularly, has not suffered the level of flooding of recent years. That is because leading up to the hurricane season, the authorities cleaned the large gully courses, as well as some drains. The same thing applies to other parishes and towns.

Not enough

But these efforts do not go nearly far enough. It is not enough, we insist, to make a project of the cleaning of gully courses in preparation for the hurricane season. That should be an ongoing programme for two essential reasons.

As it now is, this pre-hurricane season preparation means, more often than not, that a storm bears down on Jamaica before the project is complete. Or, the storm has no care for what the Jamaican authorities may decide is the drain deserving of priority attention.

What seems to make sense to us is continuing preparation, which, really, is giving citizens the services they are entitled to on an ongoing basis. Cleaning drains and gullies and other waterways is not only about hurricanes. After all, there is rainfall outside the hurricane seasons and when drains are clogged with debris on such occasions, there is flooding.

Moreover, cleaning drains and gullies, collecting garbage and trimming verges provide healthy, liveable communities. People who live in a decent, pleasing environment are likely to feel better about themselves and are less likely to be antisocial.

And we do not believe that success in these things need be as expensive as we make them out to be. Most of all, what we need to do is put people to work and ensure that the work is done; Simply, the process demands good management.

Another lesson from Gustav and other storms is the need to enforce environmental regulation and planning laws and that we put in place rules where none exists or are weak. The landslips in the wake of the storm highlighted a problem of hillside erosion because of a loss of forest cover and a degradation of watersheds.

We know all the answers to these problems, what really is required is the will to do them.

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