Heed the warnings from this week's rains in Jamaica, regional disaster expert urges

Ronald Jackson, Director General of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), has declared that this week's torrential rains which left several communities across the island flooded, damaged infrastructure and roads blocked by landslides, should be a lesson to Jamaicans of what is to come if there is a bigger natural disaster this hurricane season.

The season begins on June 1.

Mr. Jackson told RJR News that the rains have highlighted weaknesses “that are being exposed by these rain events.”

These weaknesses, he said, could relate to “the state of the natural ecosystems in the upland forests.”

There is, he said, a correlation between “where you have healthy forests, healthy watersheds, and what happens downstream with infrastructure.”

The strength of important infrastructure should also be reviewed, he said.

He concluded that, where immediate action is not possible, the Government should ensure that the problems which emerged this week and potential ones be addressed quickly.