I do hope that the ODPM and all parties concerned are taking notes on disaster relief.
In Matelot last week, we have only had a very small taste of what the ODPM should be prepared for. This is no major catastrophe, yet we are seeing the suffering of so many after several days. Reports show that electricity and phones are still out, food supply and all that goes with it coming very slowly.
What then, would we experience if this were an islandwide disaster? We cannot bury our heads in the sand and pretend that we are not seeing. The Matelot disaster has opened my eyes to the readiness of T&T for a major catastrophe. The ODPM still has some work to be done, especially in the area of getting relevant supply swiftly to damaged areas.
This is definitely a wake-up call for the ODPM.
Arnold Gopeesingh
San Juan