"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." - Benjamin Franklin
Last week, we addressed some of the shortcomings of several national institutions during Hurricane Irene which battered the Bahamian archipelago last month.  The postmortem of that hurricane clearly indicated that some of our institutions did not live up to our expectations during that disaster.  Therefore this week, we would like to "Consider This": What can we do to proactively prepare for the future storms of life?
Whilst last week's column specifically addressed Hurricane Irene, we would like to expand our consideration to various kinds of emergencies that we might encounter in the future -- those that are either natural or self-inflicted.  As a nation, have we adequately considered our state of preparedness for natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and tornadoes?  And what about man-made national disasters such as massive oil spills (similar to the one that affected the Gulf of Mexico several years ago) that could irreparably injure our coral reefs and fisheries or incalculably impair our tourism industry?  What about other disasters that could critically disrupt our vitally needed utilities such as electricity or our water supply?  Are we prepared to respond to a serious medical outbreak, contagious or not, such as the recent dengue fever outbreak?  Even more seriously, are we really prepared to manage the deliberate or accidental release of a toxic biological agent into our atmosphere or food chain which could have catastrophic results on thousands of lives?  Are contingency plans in place to adequately address such emergencies?
Too often, before and during life's storms, such as hurricanes, all we seem to be able to do is batten down the hatches, huddle quietly and anxiously in our homes or shelters, and pray for the best in order to successfully ride out the storm.  But much more can be done. Our confidence to successfully emerge from such disasters, natural or man-made can be greatly enhanced if we properly and proactively prepare for such catastrophes.  Additionally, as far as practicable, without compromising national security, it is vitally important for our leaders to communicate to the population what plans have been made in order to address those emergencies.
Let us consider just one scenario.  What would happen if, God forbid, we suffered a catastrophically critical event that would severely and indefinitely impair the production and distribution of electrical power to homes and businesses in our country?  Can we imagine what could happen if we were deprived of electrical power for protracted periods, in this case for up to a month or longer?  Given our already fragile electricity supply and the widespread load shedding we have been subjected to just this summer, such an eventuality is not outside the realm of reality.  Just look at the experience of some of the residents of Vermont who are experiencing this kind of electricity calamity as a result of the damage wrought by Hurricane Irene.  Are we prepared to handle this kind of emergency?  What are the plans?
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is charged with preparing for all kinds of emergencies.  In addition to being the first responder agency for national emergencies, its responsibilities include planning, information gathering during such disasters, and disseminating accurate and timely information to the public after such emergencies have occurred.
In addition to preparing for disasters, there also needs to be more frequent press briefings during the disaster.  NEMA should not feel that they must wait until they have all the answers relative to the disasters before reporting to the public.  It would be better to know that they are still gathering information than to know nothing at all.  NEMA needs someone within its own organization, intimately familiar with the day-to-day workings of it, in charge of their public relations and public outreach.  Instead, it relies on the secondment of various individuals with The Bahamas Information Service to issue press releases when an emergency is upon us, but this is not the ideal arrangement if we are going to receive the full scope of information in a timely and accurate manner.
To understand fully how this agency should operate, one only has to watch the constant press briefings of FEMA and other emergency agencies as Irene recently 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.
There is a vital role to be performed by the media during disasters.  The rumor mill is generally in full gear in The Bahamas, and this is never as true as when "juicy" news is available.    Therefore, the most effective way to counter the dissemination of misinformation is for the media, broadcast and electronic, to ensure that they are constantly updated by authoritative sources that provide timely and accurate information in order to ensure that the ever-changing facts of the emergency situation are distributed to the public as quickly and accurately as possible and on an ongoing basis.
During one of the recent elections, the Free National Movement set up and manned a rumor hotline, established to contain any misinformation that might be blown out of proportion, thereby creating an unpleasant situation.  Hour after hour, they answered the telephones, reassuring callers when the information was bogus and taking note of information that might need to be more officially dealt with to avoid problems.  That same concept should be in place during a national disaster.  It would avoid possible panic and problems that misinformation is so adept in creating.
Another problem that stands in the way of the efficient flow of information, before, during and after any emergency in the country, is the jealous guarding of "turf" that so many public servants, from top to bottom, are guilty of.  Resentful of another individual or agency gaining information about their particular area, some civil servants withhold information for no good reason other than that it "belongs" to their particular fiefdom.  They worked hard to gain that little scrap of knowledge or fact and some of them will do anything to protect it from being disclosed by someone else, even when that protection means the public might be in danger.  Clearly, this is a silly practice.  In case of emergencies - in fact at all times - no one should be selfish with their knowledge.  All facts should be available for use by anyone, anytime, for the public good.  In the case of disasters, information should flow into NEMA to be widely circulated for the public good.
In the final analysis, it is all about how communication - giving and receiving - can make things work more smoothly.  Holding secrets close our chests and protecting our turf has no place in our national discourse relative to preparing for the storms of our lives.  They are, in fact, some of the less attractive Bahamian traits that can be traced way back to our African heritage.  They hold back our progress and delay our entrance into the 21st century.
We are not certain when we will face another national emergency or disaster, or in what form such adversity will present itself.  What we are certain of, however, is that we will be confronted by another national disaster of one kind or another and that we should do all that we can to prepare for it.  We live in the hurricane belt and are presently in the middle of a particularly active hurricane season.  The conventional wisdom is that this will be the most likely type of disaster that we will encounter in the near future.
However, real leadership demands that we think "outside the box" and that we should prepare for any type of disaster - natural or man-made.  While we cannot expect that NEMA will divulge all of its contingency plans for all national disasters, we trust that NEMA will take the necessary steps to develop comprehensive, realistic plans in the best interest of the citizens and residents of this country, and heed the words of Benjamin Franklin that "by failing to prepare, we are preparing to fail.
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.

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