From Misery To Recovery In The Caribbean

It has been a day since Dominica was hit by Category 5 Hurricane #Maria. That blow comes on the heels of widespread regional devastation from Hurricanes #Harvey and #Irma. Dominica’s capital is full of quaint housing. It’s a land of mountains, rivers and landslides.

At the time of writing, there has been no reliable word, video or still images out of Dominica. That silence is an ominous sign; it portends devastation on a scale, the very thought of which is frightening. It tells us that all means of communication has been lost and the country must be flattened. The world’s last messages from Dominica came from its Prime Minister, the Honorable Roosevelt Skerritt, on his official Facebook page.

The Prime Minister’s messages went viral. In the first he said that what the island and its residents were experiencing was, “Rough! Rough! Rough!” The sound, he said, was “severe.” One could only hear howling winds and flying sheets of galvanise as roofs were lost, but one dared not look out because of the danger.

His next message was to say that the roof of his official residence had blown off, the house was flooding and he was “at the complete mercy of the elements.” That was followed by a post from the Prime Minister informing that he had been rescued.

The last word which seemed to have emerged from Dominica also came from the Prime Minister’s Facebook page. He issued a statement, formal in its wording, plaintive in its plea and tone. He appealed for help, saying that it was impossible to get out to do a complete survey because the “all clear” had not been issued, but from the reports he had been able to obtain, the scale of destruction was enormous.

Prime Minister Skerritt expressed concern about the injured, those trapped in rubble or landslides and those in need of medical care. He appealed for aid from the international community and friends of Dominica. Since then there has been silence from that country, except for quiet messages filtering through, allegedly from regional security forces that have gone to carry urgently needed supplies, which have used words such as “flattened” to describe what they have seen of Maria’s passage over the island.

Given the scale of the devastation the hurricanes have left behind in the #Caribbean, one can only wonder how the new US Administration's "America First" policy will play out. The current president does not believe in a global role for the USA. When one considers the damage to Houston, Florida and USVI, will the Administration perceive itself as having a role in supporting wider Caribbean relief and reconstruction efforts, particularly in the #hurricane ravaged independent islands?

The United States-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act of 2016 (HR4939), was sponsored by Democratic congressman Eliot Engel. Further information on the legislation may be found at https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4939/text. The Act provides for cooperation in a range of areas, including citizen security, rule of law, the illegal drug trade, energy security, indigenous energy resources, diplomatic engagement, economic diversification, and public health. This legislation may well provide the platform for development programs precipitated by the hurricane damage.

It is not known how the current Administration is likely to respond to the plight of the #Caribbean. Its response could tell us what the Administration’s foreign policy approach to the region will be because up to this point, the Caribbean has not appeared to be on the radar of the current White House. Even in the wake of the hurricane damage, there has been no indication of a scheduled meeting between the US President and Caribbean Prime Ministers during the margins of the United Nations General Assembly this week.

These hurricanes and the devastation they have wrought have put three questions in stark relief:

*The question is, “Does the US government see for itself no role, a minimal role, an extensive role, or indeed what kind of role, in global interventions of a humanitarian nature?”

*If the US, like the French, British and Dutch, is focused on its own island-territories and having regard to the reconstruction required in Houston and Florida, will the US feel any responsibility to mount an aid and reconstruction campaign in the rest of the region?

*Moreover, do Caribbean leaders have any ideas or plans for regional construction if it must be undertaken without a massive influx of aid?

The breadth of devastation of the region and the scale of the reconstruction effort required, is beyond the capability of the islands. The fact is, that just as Caribbean people in the hurricane ravaged islands will have to pick up the broken pieces of national infrastructure and their personal properties, they must first pick up the pieces of their broken lives. This is not easily addressed, because in such situations, the focus is invariably on reconstructing property, not people.

Reconstruction of property and people after these regional disasters will test the fortitude, capacity and resilience of the Caribbean people. Within the region we are being called to be each others’ keepers and to invest in a home-grown development plan. We have for years, been giving lip service to the concept of a common Caribbean destiny. The current circumstances compel us to actualize the potential and promise of that common purpose and future and make it our lived reality.

While no one would have wished for the circumstances that confront our brothers and sisters across the region, these monster-hurricanes and possibly a more arm’s length foreign policy approach in Washington, have undoubtedly presented us with an opportunity. For, imbued with the experience and knowledge we now have, based on the sum of our experiences, errors and learning, we can, not merely build back, but in fact, build better than what was there before. It also allows us to formulate more indigenous solutions and strategies.

We can now envisage the development we would want to craft and given the fact that we are starting with an almost clean slate, we can  construct the models, social, environmental, economic and financial architecture that can best serve the interests of our countries and citizens.

The days and weeks ahead will be interesting and challenging.

#RememberTheCaribbean