Fellow Caymanians and residents, as Cayman joins the world community in marking International Day for Disaster Reduction, I take this opportunity to remind every resident of the Cayman Islands that reducing the risk of disaster – and the effects of them if they do happen – is everybody’s business.
Most if not all of us who experienced Hurricane Ivan and its aftermath would agree that that storm was no respecter of financial position or social circumstances.
Ivan attacked equally the four-bedroom luxury condominium and the more humble two-bedroom house.
We were all consumed by that storm. Memories of it should serve to convince the most sceptical among us that everyone has a role to play in contributing to disaster reduction.
In 1989 the United Nations General Assembly designated the second Wednesday in October International Day for Disaster Reduction and this anniversary was observed throughout the decade of the 90s. But, owing to the importance that such recognition has in bringing attention to action that could affect the well-being of millions of people, it was decided in 2001 to continue its observation.
It is estimated that over the past 10 years worldwide natural disasters have taken the lives of more than 600,000 and affected some 2.4 million.
We in the Cayman Islands are lucky not to be a major contributor to that death toll. We, however, certainly fall among those affected through displacement or otherwise. Ivan left many of us without homes. The fortunate escaped with partial damage to property but all endured the national sense of dislocation that followed.
The question that must now be asked of ourselves as we observe this day on the international calendar is how much have we learned; how better are we prepared to reduce the effect of another storm of such severity?
Certainly, on the national level, we are advancing. Cayman is moving in the direction of emphasizing through legislative means that there must be no compromise in our disaster-reduction measures.
Our building codes will be extended so as not only to strengthen the fundamental integrity of building structures but also to more carefully prescribe measures for fittings such as windows.
It does us little good to set a standard for constructing the walls and ceiling of the home but to ignore the strength of windows and doors.
At the national level, as well, we are very cognizant that being hit by another hurricane is but one of the many natural disasters that can affect Cayman. We have to plan to protect and educate all residents on the impact of earthquakes, flooding from torrential rains, rising sea levels, drought and even tsunamis.
At a UN-sponsored world conference on Disaster Reduction in Japan last year, delegates developed a framework for action for the period of 2005-2015 with respect to building the resilience of nations and communities.
That framework recognised areas in which countries around the world tend to have gaps in their disaster reduction measures. It was agreed that all jurisdictions should seek to implement over the 10 years to 2015 the following measures to reduce the effect of disasters on a society:
• Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation.
• Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning.
• Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels.
• Reduce the underlying risk factors, and
• Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.
The National Hurricane Committee has been working diligently to address these issues. The NHC will soon be joined by a national hazard-reduction agency that will be working to a broader agenda.
But while it is the job of government to ensure the institutional mechanism is in place for reduction of the risk of disaster, all of us must play our part in keeping ourselves informed and diligent on the best risk-management practices.
Perhaps the best approach by citizens is to take a posture of risk-reduction in the routine decisions that we take in our daily lives, rather than to superimpose disaster reduction as a separate activity.
For example, when we go to purchase windows, think hurricane-resistant capacity at this stage, rather than working back to that objective when you go to purchase shutters.
And disaster-reduction needs to be our number one criteria for decision making in all spheres of our lives.
It was the Bard himself, William Shakespeare, who said ‘Readiness is all.’
When we consider that there are no guarantees in even the best prepared of environments and in the light of our new found capacity to imagine calamity in an unprepared state, readiness is our only option.
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