PAOLO KERNAHAN
FOUR consecutive days of torrential showers wrecked the place. In the aftermath, while some were keen on doing an accounting of the State's conspicuous immobility, others opined that the bad weather and all it produced are happening all over the world.
The all-over-the-world argument has been the default response from government apologists since the smartphone was a pager. Crime, disasters, rising food prices, etc - they're all happening everywhere else. Of course, this banal observation doesn't add any new dimensions to discussions about our challenges.
But then, that's not the purpose of citing the universality of catastrophe; the goal is the absolution of the Government.
Lost in the conversation is the fact that while calamity and hard times befall other countries, governments in other jurisdictions don't just sit on their hands.
Another common post-flood axiom is this: "They choose to build in flood-prone areas!"
This is a myopic reference to Bamboo residents. In that case, people in Diego Martin, Maraval, St Augustine, Woodbrook, Port of Spain, Tunapuna, Mafeking, Chaguanas, Valsayn and Santa Cruz all settled in floodplains. The entire country is a "mang."
Yes, extreme weather patterns afflict many parts of the world. Many countries, though, have active mitigation strategies and aggressive measures for responding to and coping with the fallout of severe weather events.
Moreover, many countries have populations who will hold their leaders' feet to the fire to ensure that governance structures look after their interests. People elsewhere aren't just accepting that this is how it's going to be - a powder-dry position of luxury that can only be embraced by those not up to their waists and beyond in loss, destruction and hopelessness.
A few months ago Pakistan suffered some of the worst flooding in recorded history. Roughly 1,700 people were killed, millions were displaced and vast areas of the country were drowned - in some cases for several weeks. Some 13,000 kilometres of roads were washed away and more than 400 bridges were obliterated by flash flooding. The unprecedented destruction was attributed to a confluence of seasonal monsoon weather and conditions caused by climate change.
In response, the government of Pakistan and numerous agencies rolled out a three-pronged plan: emergency response and relief, early recovery and rehabilitation and reconstruction. Also mooted are plans for a large-scale reforestation project across the country.
Pakistan has a long road to rebuilding ahead. Just how well the government lives up to its commitment is a matter for the Pakistani people.
Natural disasters are unavoidable. How we anticipate them and respond to them is entirely within our control - or not.
The flooding experienced across TT recently was extreme. Conditions on the ground likely worsened the impacts of the persistent rain.
Completely unchecked illegal quarrying d
