Earlier last week, Bahamians casually monitored Tropical Storm Irene, ironically a name derived from the Greek word for "peace" as it battered Puerto Rico. On Monday, August 22, 2011 computer models indicated that if the storm overpassed the mountains of Hispaniola, which would weaken it, Irene would probably turn north towards the warm waters of The Bahamas where it would likely strengthen into a potentially powerful "killer hurricane". It missed Hispaniola, a long-overdue blessing for that two-nation island, plotting with the precision of a professional pilot a "flight plan" for The Bahamas.
Most of the computer models predicted a course that would touch virtually every inhabited Bahamian island, something that had happened only two other times in recorded history. And so it did, touching down on Acklins, Mayaguana, Crooked and Long Islands, Rum Cay, San Salvador, Eleuthera and Abaco with a ferocity that had not been experienced in recent memory. It also brushed every other island within our Family of Islands, leaving in its wake devastating damage to vegetation, property and infrastructure. Therefore, this week we would like to Consider This... now that the storm is over, what lessons can we learn from Irene?
The most important lesson is that we are an exceptionally blessed nation. Despite the incalculable damage that came ashore with this hurricane, unlike our neighbor to the north, not a single life was lost, notwithstanding its Category 3 strength. And for that, each and every soul should thank the Almighty.
The second lesson that we can all take away from this catastrophe is the urgent need to properly prepare for such adversities. Over the years, because we have been spared by last minute course changes in hurricanes, we have become complacent and even oblivious to the potentially devastating and destructive forces of hurricanes. We must remember that preparation is key to preserving property and saving lives. Thanks to cable TV and other broadcast and print media, as well as the worldwide web, we are much better able to track killer storms at their earliest stages, affording us sufficient lead time to make adequate preparations.
Despite the fact that we suffered no fatalities and, at least in the capital, relatively little damage, during Irene, there are several observations that need to be made in order to better meet the next natural disaster. While most of the organs of state did not seem to be overwhelmed by the hurricane, there are several additional lessons we can and must take away from this recent experience. The most noticeably problematic deficiency encountered during the storm was the lack of communication from the primary stakeholders on whom the public has come to rely for the dissemination of critical, and in some instances life saving, information, before, during and after the storm.
The worst of those to fall miserably short were, in my estimation, the radio stations. Except for Jones Communications through its station, LOVE 97 FM, the radio stations did not continuously broadcast vitally essential information about the hurricane, something that should have been done before, during and after the storm. The broadcast industry is considered an essential service just for national emergencies like these. It is admirable that Wendall Jones not only broadcast during the hurricane, but also allowed persons to call into the station to provide individual experiences. People want to know what is going on. Moreover, the soothing voice on the other side of the radio can do much to allay the concerns of many persons who are traumatized by the storm.
BEC has performed admirably by restoring electricity to the devastated areas on New Providence. By the time the prime minister addressed the nation on Friday night, the corporation reported that electricity had been restored to 85% of its customers. However, BEC could have also provided improved service regarding information. Except for the news reports, BEC never told us what their protocols and plans were for the hurricane. Getting through to the emergency numbers was utterly impossible and extremely frustrating. BEC's emergency number (only one listed) was incessantly busy and in those rare occasions when you do get through, the line was never, ever answered. If BEC has taken a policy decision not to answer the emergency number, it should say so. It could at least leave pre-recorded messages of other outage reporting numbers and of the areas that they are aware are without electricity and the estimated time of reconnection. Once consumers are assured that BEC knows their power is off, levels of stress would be appreciably alleviated.
Neither the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) nor the Water and Sewerage Corporation advised what the public should expect relative to the continued delivery of service. BTC could have advised the public, through the media, of what was going on with their landline and cell phone connectivity challenges. This was especially important in the aftermath of the storm as family and friends grew increasingly panicky trying to reach the Family Islands. During Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, then-BTC executive, Leon Williams, appeared on various radio and television broadcasts virtually round the clock, telling the public which towers were down on the Family Islands and why they could not call here or there and what was being done to rectify those situations. There was no such proactive individual this time, although when reached by various news organizations or radio stations, BTC executives did answer some questions.
The Meteorology (Met) Department performed admirably, primarily in terms of its accuracy of the hurricane's trajectory, its effects, and the islands that would be impacted. In fact, there were several instances where there were conflicting reports between the Met office and several of the United States stations. We were so proud of "our boys" who were proven to be more accurate in those conflicting circumstances. Kudos to them!
However, once again, the forecasts that were given out via local radio and television were often old and outdated. On the day of the storm, Thursday, the 11 a.m. forecast was rebroadcast at 3 p.m. when an updated 3 p.m. forecast was available. Similarly, NB12's pre-recorded newscast, which is rebroadcast at 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. also contained an old and outdated forecast without any notice on the screen that this newscast had been recorded earlier, so that someone hearing the 5 p.m. forecast after 11:30 p.m. would not be totally confused. We are aware of the constraints of overtime pay, especially in these dire economic times, but a national emergency like a Cat 3 hurricane surely necessitates that it is not business as usual, especially at a media organization that is disseminating crucial information.
The same can also be said of our print media. After a particularly devastating hurricane in 1941, Sir Etienne Dupuch used a foot press to put out a much reduced edition of the Tribune because he knew people wanted information. On Friday, The Nassau Guardian is to be congratulated for putting out a paper, even though it was a small one. The Tribune, on the other hand, after putting out a Wednesday/Thursday edition on Wednesday, was missing in action on Friday, a day when everyone needed to know what had happened.
There was a huge information gap as to when the Lynden Pindling Airport would reopen. First it was supposed to be Friday morning and then it changed without much public notice. To add insult to injury, because the American Embassy very understandably repatriated many of its staff to the United States in advance of the hurricane, it necessitated closure of the pre-clearance services, so that only Bahamians with valid visas could travel to the United States. The problem is that the public announcement of this development was first made on the 1 o'clock news on Friday, the same day that some persons had planned to travel, but, unaware of this development, were prevented from doing so because they only had a valid police certificate. This could have been avoided had the announcement gone out earlier.
Finally, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which is the planning, information gathering, dissemination and first responder agency for national emergencies, needs to do a better job of communicating with the public. There needs to be more frequent press briefings, either in person or by telephone. They do not always have to wait until they have all the answers. It would be better to know that they are still gathering information than to know nothing at all. While NEMA has a tremendous system in place, that agency does not have anyone in charge of public relations.
It simply cannot and should not be required to rely on The Bahamas Information Service, which certainly knows how to issue a press release, but has little understanding of public relations. To understand fully how this agency should operate, one only had to watch the constant press briefing of FEMA and other emergency agencies as Irene journeyed up the U.S. east coast. From President Obama to the various governors of the affected states, they updated, answered questions and displayed patience with the media and the public that NEMA would do well to duplicate.
The fact is that we were subject to a plethora of misinformation during Irene. At one time, I heard that the storm would be finished by 2 p.m. and a few minutes later, it was 5 p.m. No one could tell which it was. We heard that NEMA's satellite phones were a problem, then from other authoritative sources that they were not. Which is it? Because there is no gatekeeper of information, the radio and TV stations use information as they please, giving priority to what they want, with no authoritative source with whom to fact check or who monitors just what information is going out.
Without a doubt, the storm is over. Once again, The Bahamas has come through and its resilient people can breathe a sigh of relief. However, as sure as the sun comes up in the morning, there will be another hurricane to challenge us. Let us take the lessons learned from Irene and do more things right the next time, so we can come through even more resiliently. Let us remember that information - correct, precise and timely information - will empower everyone to face the next tempest courageously and come through it even better than we did this time.
Philip C. Galanis is the managing partner of HLB Galanis & Co., Chartered Accountants, Forensic & Litigation Support Services. He served 15 years in Parliament.
Please send your comments to pgalanis@gmail.com.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
