#TurksandCaicos, October 27, 2022 – What lessons if any, have been learned from past hurricane disasters in TCI?

Hard to believe it’s been a little over a month since hurricane Fiona unleashed its fury on the Turks and Caicos Islands, with the Capitol sustaining the bulk of the damages.

As a matter of fact, I’m still coming to grips that I survived the wrath of yet another category 3 hurricane battering down on these islands.

Despite the prediction by meteorologist on national television, which showed TCI was not in the direct path of the hurricane, residents took no chances this time. Unlike previous hurricanes, many residents seemed well prepared to face whatever came their way and fortunately there were no lives loss.

With the country having experienced a number of devastating storms in the past, I must say the recovery efforts and response showed much improvement compared to past disasters.

Although for the most part the country as a whole made it through the storm practically unscarred, the aftermath of the hurricane is what always concerns me the most.

With that being said, what have we done significantly differently as a country to put us in a better position to hasten post recovery efforts and make our infrastructure more resilient in the future?

In terms of additional manpower and support, the TCI Regiment is and was certainly an added layer of assistance. Also, kudos to the DDME management team and the decisive leadership exhibited by Deputy Governor Anya Williams, who was the acting Governor at the time.

Granted, electricity and water at the majority of the homes and businesses have been restored, it’s still a painful reminder of the islands vulnerability.

As far as the eyes can see, the impact literally and metaphorically peeled the scab of an already damaged infrastructure in Grand Turk, to include   the local airport.

The terminal doors designated for incoming passengers are off limit to travelers. This forces travelers to haul their luggage through a graveled parking lot area. With tourism being our bread and butter for the economy, one would hope this is on the priority list for repairs.

The remnants of the abandoned buildings at south base are still standing, despite promises made by both the current and previous administrations to have them removed following disaster upon disaster.

What is the government’s plan this time around..put out yet another contract to erect temporary barricades to hide the poor aesthetics?

One must ask, how much more of taxpayers dollars can we waste?

Stop putting on bandaids and take the buildings down.

The impact of the hurricane left telecommunication and electrical lines dangling in the streets and some homes without running water. Particularly in areas like the Ridge, it was an added set back as this community has been deprived for years now without adequate city water. Many residents are losing hope as to whether or not it will ever be restored.

Having gone through similar experience with hurricanes Ike, Irma and Maria, it would have been prudent for FortisTCI to harden the targets even more. Such as allocating adequate funds to start reconstructing the island’s energy system with underground cables and for hazard mitigation.

Experts have predicted storms will get even more intense and swiftly, as we have seen with Fiona. This is largely in part due to a result of higher atmospheric and ocean temperatures, making it harder for communities to prepare and adapt.

The residents of these islands greatly appreciate the 2.5 million dollars recently allocated to FortisTCI by TCIG to subsidize the cost of increased fuel charges.

Nevertheless, the buck should not stop there. With the soaring cost of burning fossil fuel, citizens across these islands would welcome the expansion of FortisTCI “UORE program”.

This program was designed to offer qualifying customers the opportunity to partner with FortisTCI to lease their rooftop space for the generation of solar energy. It offers more alternatives and a way to move away from a centralized energy grid.

In the long run, I believe it would be cleaner, cheaper, and more resilient for the country.

There were also reports of damages done to Carnival cruise lines pier in Grand Turk, causing a delay in cruises to the island for a few weeks.

Although cruises have since resumed sailing, this was a hard blow and yet another setback for the Islands of Grand Turk and Salt Cay. It was especially painful for some residents, who are still trying to bounce back on their feet from the impact of Covid-19 pandemic which delayed cruises to the island for over 18 months.

Ed Forbes 

Furthermore, if certain communities or areas are vulnerable or prone to a particular hazard such as flooding, and down power lines crucial to critical infrastructure, the plan should be to outline procedures and strategies for the specific disaster.

Case in point: Close Haul Road which is located in Grand Turk, is prone to flooding and is only one of many examples in Grand Turk and Providenciales. When flooded, this particular road impacts access to some homes for days, why not put in place a permanent fix?

As our population continues to grow, there has also been a huge growth in the number of people living in poorly constructed housing across these islands. What plans are in place to deal with displaced families or regulations to mandate reinforced building structures?

Again, this will take foresight and a proactive approach to addressing these issues.

It’s inevitable that another hurricane will strike and that resources and public attentiveness will follow. However, it’s imperative to not lose sight of successes and failures of the aftermath of the disaster period, because there will always be long-term lessons to learn from disasters.