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Dangerous 'Dean'
published: Wednesday | August 22, 2007
Peter Espeut
I have heard divergent opinions as to whether Hurricane Dean was more or less destructive than Hurricane Ivan. And I suppose it matters where you were during each. Comparing how southern Clarendon fared in both suggests that 'Dean' was much, much worse!
Both 'Ivan' and 'Dean' were Category Four hurricanes, but 'Dean' was far the stronger of the two. Category Four Hurricane Ivan passed 20 miles south of Portland Point, and caused widespread damage on the coastline in the southern parts of St. Andrew, St. Catherine and Clarendon. When dangerous Category Four Hurricane Dean passed south of Jamaica, the eye was about 60 miles off Portland Point, and hurricane force winds radiated about 50 miles outwards; therefore, almost nowhere on mainland Jamaica received sustained hurricane force winds; only gusts. Why then was 'Dean' more destructive?
There are two answers. 'Storm surge' is one. Ivan whipped up a storm surge that was about 10 feet high when it hit Portland Cottage - and this was after it had been slowed down and th lowered by the extensive wall of mangroves which protects Portland Cottage. 'Ivan's' wall of water ripped babies out of arms and drowned eight people. Debris from the hundreds of flimsy wooden Food for the Poor houses was scattered everywhere!
Sustained underdevelopemnt
Thankfully, before 'Dean' there were fewer Food for the Poor houses and, therefore, there was less wooden debris and no loss of life; but the storm surge associated with 'Dean' was reported to be much higher than for 'Ivan', and it topped the protective wall of mangroves. One resident described to me how the water covered his chest as he stood on the bed in his house (which was elevated on a concrete platform). This time the higher and stronger wall of water broke down concrete walls in its path! Those residents with more substantial houses in the wetland, who were not relocated after Ivan, got their 'big lick' with 'Dean'.
Definitely Portland Cottage residents were better prepared for Hurricane Dean. However, if persons are allowed to reside there, after every hurricane, there will be huge hurricane relief costs. Talk about sustained underdevelopment!
It is madness to build houses in a wetland, whether wooden or concrete. I shudder to think of the disaster in terms of loss of life, never mind property, if dangerous 'Dean' passed as close to Jamaica as Ivan did!
Relief for hurricane relief
As hurricanes become stronger and more frequent, we have to change the way we do things in Jamaica. Maybe we have to be hit by a few more hurricanes before the tough-headed government gets the message!
The zinc-roofed hurricane relief houses built by the Office of National Reconstruction (ONR) for the Portland Cottage people were a little higher up on the hill; but that exposed them to 'Dean's' strong gusts which, I am told, blew the roofs off most of them (I could not get there; the road was blocked). I saw about 60 per cent of the zinc roofs on the Rocky Point relief houses destroyed. Both hurricane relief housing schemes were occupied for the first time just a few months/weeks ago. Now there needs to be hurricane relief for the hurricane relief housing.
I have criticised the approach of the ONR after Hurricane Ivan. Much was done illegally without the necessary environmental permits, on the grounds that time was running out and there was a danger of losing the grant funds. I hope that Hurricane Dean will be an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the operations of the ONR, so that the post-Dean hurricane relief will be an improvement on the post-Ivan efforts.
At first, 'Dean' was forecast to move across the island 'a la Gilbert'. Thank God it did not! 'Dean' changed course, and Jamaica got off quite lightly, I think. Nevertheless, poor Mitchell Town, Portland Cottage and Rocky Point were badly hit.
Yet to be assessed is the loss of life and property damage among the residents of the Pedro Cays and the Morant Cays. They would have been directly hit by the strongest winds that 'Dean' had to offer. When are we going to hear how these Jamaicans have fared?
Peter Espeut is a sociologist and is executive director of an environment and development NGO.
published: Wednesday | August 22, 2007
Peter Espeut
I have heard divergent opinions as to whether Hurricane Dean was more or less destructive than Hurricane Ivan. And I suppose it matters where you were during each. Comparing how southern Clarendon fared in both suggests that 'Dean' was much, much worse!
Both 'Ivan' and 'Dean' were Category Four hurricanes, but 'Dean' was far the stronger of the two. Category Four Hurricane Ivan passed 20 miles south of Portland Point, and caused widespread damage on the coastline in the southern parts of St. Andrew, St. Catherine and Clarendon. When dangerous Category Four Hurricane Dean passed south of Jamaica, the eye was about 60 miles off Portland Point, and hurricane force winds radiated about 50 miles outwards; therefore, almost nowhere on mainland Jamaica received sustained hurricane force winds; only gusts. Why then was 'Dean' more destructive?
There are two answers. 'Storm surge' is one. Ivan whipped up a storm surge that was about 10 feet high when it hit Portland Cottage - and this was after it had been slowed down and th lowered by the extensive wall of mangroves which protects Portland Cottage. 'Ivan's' wall of water ripped babies out of arms and drowned eight people. Debris from the hundreds of flimsy wooden Food for the Poor houses was scattered everywhere!
Sustained underdevelopemnt
Thankfully, before 'Dean' there were fewer Food for the Poor houses and, therefore, there was less wooden debris and no loss of life; but the storm surge associated with 'Dean' was reported to be much higher than for 'Ivan', and it topped the protective wall of mangroves. One resident described to me how the water covered his chest as he stood on the bed in his house (which was elevated on a concrete platform). This time the higher and stronger wall of water broke down concrete walls in its path! Those residents with more substantial houses in the wetland, who were not relocated after Ivan, got their 'big lick' with 'Dean'.
Definitely Portland Cottage residents were better prepared for Hurricane Dean. However, if persons are allowed to reside there, after every hurricane, there will be huge hurricane relief costs. Talk about sustained underdevelopment!
It is madness to build houses in a wetland, whether wooden or concrete. I shudder to think of the disaster in terms of loss of life, never mind property, if dangerous 'Dean' passed as close to Jamaica as Ivan did!
Relief for hurricane relief
As hurricanes become stronger and more frequent, we have to change the way we do things in Jamaica. Maybe we have to be hit by a few more hurricanes before the tough-headed government gets the message!
The zinc-roofed hurricane relief houses built by the Office of National Reconstruction (ONR) for the Portland Cottage people were a little higher up on the hill; but that exposed them to 'Dean's' strong gusts which, I am told, blew the roofs off most of them (I could not get there; the road was blocked). I saw about 60 per cent of the zinc roofs on the Rocky Point relief houses destroyed. Both hurricane relief housing schemes were occupied for the first time just a few months/weeks ago. Now there needs to be hurricane relief for the hurricane relief housing.
I have criticised the approach of the ONR after Hurricane Ivan. Much was done illegally without the necessary environmental permits, on the grounds that time was running out and there was a danger of losing the grant funds. I hope that Hurricane Dean will be an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the operations of the ONR, so that the post-Dean hurricane relief will be an improvement on the post-Ivan efforts.
At first, 'Dean' was forecast to move across the island 'a la Gilbert'. Thank God it did not! 'Dean' changed course, and Jamaica got off quite lightly, I think. Nevertheless, poor Mitchell Town, Portland Cottage and Rocky Point were badly hit.
Yet to be assessed is the loss of life and property damage among the residents of the Pedro Cays and the Morant Cays. They would have been directly hit by the strongest winds that 'Dean' had to offer. When are we going to hear how these Jamaicans have fared?
Peter Espeut is a sociologist and is executive director of an environment and development NGO.
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