The poor state of the Forecast Office of the Department of Meteorology is again an issue of national discussion in a hurricane. Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin was outraged at this newspaper last year when we revealed that the Doppler radar was down during Hurricane Joaquin. That was even disputed by the government. Now, there has been another embarrassment at the department.
Forecasters had to be evacuated from the Forecast Office at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) on October 6 in the middle of Hurricane Matthew, as the building could not withstand the storm. They are the ones relied upon to provide information on the hurricane.
As we reported in our National Review section yesterday, forecasters have long complained about the poor state of the office. They have to use garbage bins and newspapers to catch and soak up water when it rains. There are concerns regarding mold. On Sunday the Forecast Office flooded again in the heavy rain.
Yesterday Velenzo Miller, a meteorological observer, was back in that office because it was the only way he could access critical equipment needed to provide important information to pilots before takeoff from LPIA. He fell attempting to maneuver around the slippery floor, ceiling tiles and other debris. An ambulance had to be called to take him for treatment.
In her contribution to the budget debate in the House of Assembly in June, Hanna-Martin said: "Presently, the [department's] Forecast Office is located in the old terminal building at LPIA, and on Friday, July 1, 2016, NAD will begin renovations to a space in the new domestic terminal, previously occupied by Sky Bahamas, in which to relocate the Forecast Office. These renovations should be completed within four weeks."
That timeline was not met.
Following Hurricane Matthew and 10 months after plans to purchase four Doppler radar systems were announced, Hanna-Martin told The Tribune a phased acquisition of new radars will not start until next year. The four new radar systems will cost $20 million and provide full coverage of The Bahamas. The existing radar only provides coverage 150 to 200 miles outside New Providence.
The forecasters have been mistreated. The government has been negligent. The information these men and women provide helps Bahamians make life and death decisions daily in aviation and the maritime trades. Hanna-Martin said yesterday that while they should have been relocated to "appropriate accommodations" sooner, the forecasters now have been moved out of that building and will not return.
It is stunning that the government let a whole year pass after the debacle of 2015 and it faces another storm-related debacle at the same state agency. Prime Minister Perry Christie must ensure that the issues at the Forecast Office are resolved once and for all. He should not leave it to another minister or a department director. He has tried that and it has not worked.
The forecasters should be in a state-of-the-art headquarters that can withstand Category 5 winds and other worst-case weather scenarios faced in this country. If they are not safe to advise us during times of disaster, then who will?
We hope the prime minister sees fit to intervene and ensure the forecasters are treated fairly. They seem to be on their own right now, invisible to those responsible for their well-being and safety.
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