A lot still has to be done, says
Marlin –Island Council meets on
govt’s disaster preparedness –
PHILIPSBURG--There is still a lot to be done, said Commissioner of Public Works Roy Marlin during Wednesday’s Island Council meeting on government’s preparedness in case of disasters such as the flooding on July 30.
National Alliance (NA) Councilman William Marlin, whose faction had requested the meeting, questioned how prepared government was for the flash flooding and said he wasn’t impressed by the list of projects to improve the infrastructure and drainage system in general mentioned by Commissioner Marlin.
Commissioner Marlin illustrated with the help of photos that the cloudburst, a phenomenon that couldn’t be predicted, had caused the level of water at, for example, John Cooper /Jose Lake Sr. Ballpark to rise to eight feet in a period of 39 minutes. He said no government, no matter what party would govern, would be able to deal with such a large amount of water in such a short time.
According to Roy Marlin, the island was mostly free of water within three hours after the cloudburst. “Our drainage system worked well. But there is a lot more to be done to improve it. Hurricanes Lenny and José taught us a lesson,” he said, explaining that after those two natural disasters, government had started focusing more on drainage in key areas. He mentioned 13 projects in 2000-2001 and another eight in 2002-2004. “The ongoing improvement hasn’t stopped,” he said.
The Commissioner said the breakwater bridge and outlet at Fresh Pond would be tackled and that a new third pump would be installed in the near future. He said the new pump had been donated by the Dutch Ministry of Transport and Water Management and that it had been revised to the tune of US $65,000. He said it hadn’t cost 500,000 euros, as had been suggested by the opposition.
According to Roy Marlin, 75 persons asked the Public Works Department for assistance with the removal of walls, rocks and other debris. Some 80 per cent of these persons have already been helped. Cost of cleaning and clearing up to date has been NAf. 670,000.
The installation of a warning system was discussed at Wednesday’s meeting. Commissioner Marlin announced that three persons of the Fire Department would be going to Montserrat to look at the siren system there.
NA Councilman George Pantophlet suggested a warning system via the radio, which would interrupt regular programming in case of emergencies. Roy Marlin said an emergency radio system would be set up at the Government Administration Building and that Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards as Local Chief of Police had the authority to cut into regular radio programming.
William Marlin said government had “failed miserably” in maintaining the drainage system and questioned the construction of some bridges that he said were apparently too low to handle the vast amount of water.
He criticised government for not removing garbage on time and allowing it to pile up in the hurricane season. “When flooding occurs, you’re going to blame the household debris?” He also spoke of a “total breakdown of communication” between government organisations.
NA Councilmen Pantophlet and Hyacinth Richardson told stories of victims who had lost everything and who had been sleeping on the floor, living with a fridge and stove. These people, they said, are still awaiting government assistance. Pantophlet urged government to put measures in place to minimise the damage in the event of another cloudburst.
At the start of the meeting, William Marlin requested clarity on the reason the meeting had been convened eight days after his faction had requested it, instead of the seven regulated by law. He urged that government stick to the law. Island Council Chairman Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards admitted there had been an “omission” on the part of government.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 last night until 3:00pm on Monday, August 29, when members will debate the other major agenda item that was listed for yesterday – Government’s financial contribution to SummerFest 2005.
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