Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, July 05, 2021
By Jean Lowrie-Chin
We give props to ODPEM, our Met Office and the Ministry of Local Government for helping us track and prepare for Hurricane Elsa over the past days. However, as the old saying goes, “God helps those who help themselves” and too many of us are casual about putting ourselves in order, and quick to blame ‘the Govament’ when we are affected.
At the time of writing this column, thankfully we have been downgraded from ‘Hurricane Warning’ to “Tropical Storm Warning’ – still serious as this comes with a great deal of wind and rain.
We have been specially focused on the elderly as they should have a stock of prescription meds in addition to the usual necessities. Family members should remember that a sad aspect of elderly abuse is neglect. They may have been energetic in their time but age has its challenges and dear Grandma and Grandpa do need more support. Please do not wait until the last minute to help them prepare for emergencies; visit at least monthly and check on their supplies.
Many younger relatives live abroad but there are trusted neighbours, church family and friends who you can engage to help you do a physical check. Remember some elders try not to bother their children, so if you do not get in-person checks done you may not know their true situation. There are inexpensive camera systems that can also assist you to monitor wherever you are.
As the National Works Agency tries to keep abreast of road repairs, Parish Councils should ensure that new builds are in accessible areas. Rural folks are suffering from terrible road conditions, with the authorities trying to play catch-up. There is so much potential in every parish in our beautiful country – let us get a handle on our built environment so we do not have the population overload in some places and sparse, struggling communities in others.
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