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opinion

The Greater Caribbean This Week

Rough Season

by Luis Carpio

"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing…”

Alexander Pope

As we in the Greater Caribbean (GC) finally get around to ushering in the Hurricane Season after the long World Cup hiatus on our economies, governments, scandals and all the other usual amenities with which human existence is blessed, and with memories of Ivan the Terrible still fresh upon the mind, one cannot but notice the marked improvement in our region’s attitudes towards the subject of disaster prevention and mitigation. And this, even when compared to the same period last year.

It is clear that when Ivan in 2004 and the 27 storms of 2005 barreled through or near our region, we finally put it through our collective skull, at least at a certain level, that natural disasters only happen to other people, until they happen to you. Looking into the mirror of Grenada, where most of our brethren were left homeless and jobless almost overnight, is certainly sobering, and our reaction, though a good sign of maturity, is also proof of our collective bad memory. Remember that if God were Trini or Venezuelan (yeah, we have that saying too, which speaks volumes about its veracity) Hurricane Flora in 1963 would not have killed over 7,000, nor visited such destruction upon Tobago that it changed the economy of the island from cash-crop agriculture to tourism and fishing with one fell swoop. Neither would the mudslides near Caracas in 1999 have taken tens of thousands of lives.

Though the current renaissance in interest regarding preparedness and mitigation, as opposed to the traditional focus on response, can only be applauded, there still remains a general tendency towards a philosophy of the physical, whereby preparedness and mitigation are seen as the act of stockpiling certain goods and keeping the helicopter fuelled (both excellent ideas, don’t get me wrong). Another tendency in the same vein tells us that early warning is a synonym for megabucks radar systems and millionaire buoys. However, preparedness and mitigation when conceived as a year-round exercise in saving lives and property as well as maximising the potential for recovery is much more. It is a state of mind, and the only permanent (not to mention wholesome and legal) way of changing one of those is through education.

This is where the radio soap opera on natural disasters in the GC entitled: “The Rough Season” comes in. Acknowledging that better disaster preparedness on the part of the public in general would reduce the impact of disasters, The Rough Season will be used as a forum for sharing and disseminating information pertaining to disaster management and will seek to sensitize the general public by increasing and promoting the knowledge of the audience in the area of natural disasters, thus improving the attitude toward disasters and fostering preparation and mitigation efforts in the English-speaking GC.

Though supported by two successful experiences in Central America, The Rough Season is a bespoke, culture-specific product fashioned with the English-speaking GC in mind. The settings for the program in terms of situations, accents, ethnicity and even original music and “well-loved” stereotypes will be readily recognizable to any inhabitant or even seasoned visitor to the sub-region. The methodology counts upon the creative use of a unique style of the educational theatre for the delivery of key messages in an entertaining, non-condescending manner and is the artistic creation of Arts-in-Action at the Center for Creative and Festival Arts University of the West Indies St. Augustine.

National preparation and mitigation plans are crucial, but one of the many value-added features of The Rough Season is its focus on community-empowerment as a major driving-force for implementation, with more than a passing nod to the key role played by women in our communities, particularly those poised precariously in high-vulnerability zones. Of course, being an educational tool, the show also has children as a special “target” audience.

This radio program is emblematic of the tangible results made possible through joint and coordinated efforts amongst various organizations, namely: the Association of Caribbean States, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the Pan American Health Organization, which joined efforts in order to bring this project to fruition. Now, with the generous support of the Canadian High Commission in Trinidad and Tobago, the twin island nation will become the pilot for the airing of the show, which will premiere next Monday 24th July on 90.5 FM at 11:00am and Heartbeat 103.5 FM Radio for Women at 12:45 p.m. as well as on Tuesday 25th July on I95.5 FM at 2:45 p.m. Please check the media for further scheduling information. Enjoy, learn and avoid a little knowledge

Luis Carpio is the Director of Transport and Natural Disasters of the Association of Caribbean States. The opinions expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Comments and reactions can be sent to mail@acs-aec.org

(The Rough Season clips are available online at  http://www.caribbeanredcross.org/what/dm/rs_hdp.htm )

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