The extent of the damage in Jamaica is yet to be determined

Originally published on Global Voices

Feature image via Canva Pro.

Hurricane Beryl, the first major storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, now significantly downgraded to a Category 2 system, is currently headed for Central America, having practically “flattened” several of the Windward Islands as a Cat 4 earlier this week. It then tore through Jamaica on July 3, after which it also affected the Cayman Islands.

The death toll from Beryl is estimated to be at least seven people so far, surprising given the level of ruin to infrastructure, buildings, and the natural environment in places like Carriacou, Union Island, Mayreau, and Petit Martinique in the Grenadines. The difference in the level of vegetation on Carriacou alone, pre- and post-Beryl, is startling.

Despite being downgraded, forecasters maintain that Beryl is still to be considered a hazardous storm that can do serious damage; they are particularly concerned about the effects of “damaging waves” from its storm surge, which could raise water levels by as much as three to five feet above ground level.

The Yucatán Peninsula is under a hurricane warning; once Beryl sweeps past it and arrives in the Gulf of Mexico, there is a chance of “slow re-intensification.” Parts of Belize are also on a tropical storm watch.

As a result of heavy rain and gusty winds, Jamaicans experienced a widespread loss of electricity supply, and there was heavy flooding in some areas, with many roads being rendered impassable and people being stranded. A comprehensive view of the extent of the damage is still to be determined, though the island has reported at least two storm-related deaths.

Like elsewhere in the archipelago, many people lost their roofs, though this woman in Jamaica was dangerously determined to hold on to hers:

WOMAN IN JAMAICA DECIDED TO SAVE HER ROOF AT ALL COST DURING HURRICANE BERYL!

A lady in Jamaica was caught on camera sitting on top of her roof and holding it down in the midst of the category 4 storm.

The roof was about to give way, but the lady had no intention of allowing… pic.twitter.com/EtraTSdpMO

— Jamaica Live (@JamaicaLivenews) July 4, 2024

One resident of Mandeville, located in hilly, south-central Jamaica, was astounded at how effortlessly trees were felled and overhead lines pulled down. Though shaken, he said they would rebuild:

“We a wonder if we could have survived the night how the wind have the trees, heavy trees dem!”

That was how one resident in Mandeville, Manchester described his experience after the passing of Hurricane Beryl.

(: Kasey Williams)#HurricaneBeryl #ObservingBeryl #Beryl… pic.twitter.com/AGrtSwbiDQ

— Jamaica Observer (@JamaicaObserver) July 4, 2024

The community of Treasure Beach also suffered losses, but also declared its resilience and intent to rebuild:

Lots of property damage in Treasure Beach and surrounding area but no loss of life that we have heard of so giving thanks.
We will rebuild. TB is a very resilient community

— Justine Henzell (@JustineHenzell) July 4, 2024

The Jamaica Observer newspaper reported that the devastation was far-reaching:

The devastation is extensive. In St James, roads show extensive damage littered with debris. Meanwhile, in Westmoreland, a large tree blocks the Frome Main Road, where firefighters and soldiers work to clear the scene. Another tree fell on a bar on Frome Main Road and a car wash… pic.twitter.com/nPTAu4JE9Q

— Jamaica Observer (@JamaicaObserver) July 4, 2024

Yet, people rushed to help and relieve the suffering of others in whatever ways they could:

WCK is working with local partners in Jamaica to provide meals to families impacted by Hurricane Beryl. In Kingston, Mark Chong’s Catering provided baked chicken and stewed pork served with rice and greens. The storm battered communities along the country’s southern coast,… pic.twitter.com/WxuWw9vMqF

— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) July 4, 2024

Even as Jamaica closed its airports and Prime Minister Andrew Holness advised that hundreds of people were taking refuge in shelters across the island, the nation's leader was drawing criticism on X (formerly Twitter) for a comment he made on the climate crisis:

Dis fool. And at the same time his govt allows massive hotels to be constructed and our mangroves are being destroyed. The govt’s policies are putting the Jamaican people at increase risk with climate change. pic.twitter.com/6vnGYV10Y1

— Alexis Goffe (@LexGoffe) July 3, 2024

One commenter on the thread replied, “Tunnel vision. He’s not realizing that industrial pollution is not the sole cause for climate change. It’s the destruction [of] natural habitats etc.” Holness’ administration has been criticised for allowing both construction and industrial projects that compromise the environment.

Meanwhile, Trinidadian writer Ingrid Persaud lamented:

Small island states bearing the brunt of climate change. Again. https://t.co/atHllBGZ8w

— Ingrid Persaud (@IngridPersaud) July 3, 2024

In the Caymans — much closer in size to the Windwards than Jamaica, and still cognisant of the havoc Hurricane Ivan wreaked on the islands two decades ago — residents stocked up on supplies and tried to protect themselves as best they could. Beryl, thankfully, never made landfall there.

However, the storm has set numerous records as the strongest, earliest hurricane of the annual season, which has been largely attributed to conditions caused by climate change.

‘Sea level rise represents a clear human influence on the damage potential from a given hurricane’

Originally published on Global Voices

Feature image via Canva Pro.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season had barely begun when Hurricane Beryl proved itself, in many ways, to be unprecedented. It reared its head earlier than most major storms tend to do, it gained power quickly, being upgraded to a Category 3 and then Cat 4 system within a mere 48 hours and, having left a trail of destruction through the Grenadines — including at least six deaths — it became the strongest storm on record this early in the season, briefly turning into a Category 5 hurricane. As at 9:00 p.m. (UTC4) on July 2, it has reverted to a Cat 4 as it headed towards Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

While weather experts and storm chasers may be fascinated by Beryl's exceptionality, the people of the Caribbean who have been routinely battered on the frontline of the annual hurricane season fear that all the factors that make Beryl stand out may, in fact, become the norm.

Scientists have said that warmer sea temperatures, driven by climate change and cyclical weather patterns, are causing tropical storms to get stronger at a faster speed.

I know there's some wind shear impacting #Beryl, but my $$ is always on the ocean. It's running the show. pic.twitter.com/3c4zmSs8Vr

— Brian McNoldy (@BMcNoldy) July 3, 2024

This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States predicted an 85 percent chance of greater storm activity than normal — as many as 17 to 25 total named storms, of which anywhere from eight to 13 might become hurricanes, and four to seven of those, major hurricanes, meaning Category 3-5. They credit this to a “confluence of factors,” including “abundant oceanic heat content,” “a quick transition to La Niña conditions,” reduced Atlantic trade winds and less wind shear.

“[L]ight trade winds,” NOAA explained, “allow hurricanes to grow in strength without the disruption of strong wind shear, and also minimize ocean cooling.” It confirmed that the climate crisis “is warming our ocean globally and in the Atlantic basin, and melting ice on land, leading to sea level rise,” which it said represented “a clear human influence on the damage potential from a given hurricane.”

Like The Bahamas, Dominica, and so many other islands before them in years gone by, Barbados, Tobago, St. Lucia, Grenada, and especially the Grenadines which have thus far weathered most of the impact from Beryl, know this all too well — and just as they have done before, the Caribbean community has been rallying to send relief and much-needed supplies to those affected.

From St. Vincent, photographer Nadia Huggins shared a link to a GoFundMe page, saying, “I have no words to express the scale of devastation. I can’t believe we have to fund raise for yet another disaster. Please help in any way you can.” Looking at the “near apocalyptic” images coming out of Union Island, or video of the storm's aftermath in Carriacou, you begin to understand the urgency.

Meanwhile, Jamaica braces for Beryl to make landfall as a Category 4 storm, expected to happen by Wednesday, July 3, with the eye passing over the Cayman Islands later that night or early Thursday.

#HurricaneBeryl Bulletin 12: OUTER BANDS OF BERYL TO REACH JAMAICA BEFORE DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY…HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT.

— MetServiceJA (@MetserviceJA) July 2, 2024

Global Voices contributor Emma Lewis, who is based in Jamaica, says that her compatriots are feeling stressed by the storm's impending arrival, and traffic has been bad as people try to stock up on supplies or make last-minute repairs:

Hopeless traffic in #OchoRios
Last minute shopping ofc for #Beryl #HuracanBeryl #Jamaica pic.twitter.com/PBj2tGzhnH

— DKAstrology (@DKAstrology) July 2, 2024

Like most Caribbean territories, Jamaica has endured devastation from hurricanes like Gilbert, a Cat 3 that struck in September 1988. While Beryl will likely weaken after it hits Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, it is still expected to remain a hurricane as it makes it way across the northwestern Caribbean. In this vein, hurricane watches are in effect for southern Haiti, tropical storm warnings for the south coast of the Dominican Republic, and a tropical storm watch for parts of Belize.

With a long and potentially active hurricane season ahead, and regional leaders calling out the lack of action on the part of developed nations that largely contribute to the global levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the overriding sentiment of the region was encapsulated in a tweet by Greenpeace:

Our thoughts are with Caribbean islands bracing for hurricane #Beryl. Stay safe

We have never seen such a STRONG hurricane this EARLY in the season.

Big oil and gas corporations are worsening extreme weather disasters. They must be held to account.

pic.twitter.com/EmaJx4443g

— Greenpeace International (@Greenpeace) July 1, 2024

The aim is to have the decision fully implemented by March 30, 2024

Originally published on Global Voices

Feature image created using Canva Pro elements.

From July 3-5, regional leaders met in Port of Spain, Trinidad, for the 45th Regular Meeting of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government. The occasion also marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas on July 4, 1973, which established the regional body with signatories that were limited to Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Since then, CARICOM has evolved into a diverse political and economic grouping of 15 member states (which include French-speaking Haiti and Dutch-speaking Suriname) and five associate member states.

In the lead-up to independence from Britain, the idea of a West Indian Federation was short-lived, but at the opening of this year's meeting, Trinidad and Tobago's prime minister, Keith Rowley, said that the regional integration movement had not only survived but also “thrived, expanded and flourished.”

It is a view that was echoed by Antigua-Barbudan diplomat Sir Ronald Sanders, who believes that for all its shortcomings with regard to the “deep and meaningful integration that was envisioned […] the fact that CARICOM’s framework continues to exist is a testament to the enduring belief in the benefits of regional integration.”

This is not to say that CARICOM's failings have not had their price. There has been criticism that the bloc has not been outspoken enough when it comes to the challenges facing Haiti, and limited integration has weakened its influence when it comes to applying the requisite pressure regarding issues like the climate crisis, violent crime, and access to development funding, despite UN Secretary-General António Guterres praising CARICOM's economic and social development and progress in combating the infiltration of illegal drugs and arms, among other things.

Attendees also focused on the regional coordination needed ahead of COP28 and regional food security, with ongoing efforts to reduce food imports by 25 percent by 2025.

The most progressive decision to come out of the meeting, however, was free movement for all Caribbean people within the region. The current chair of CARICOM and Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit explained:

We believe that this is a fundamental part of the integration architecture, and at 50, we could not leave Trinidad and Tobago and not speak about the core of the regional integration movement — that is, people’s ability to move freely within the Caribbean Community. [W]e hope to see that it is implemented by March 30, 2024.

This new measure — which does not extend to Haiti, given the country's current sociopolitical crisis — goes well beyond the current arrangement that allows for the free movement of agreed categories of skilled nationals under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.

Skerrit added:

I believe the founding fathers are smiling from heaven that the present generation of leaders were bold enough to be able to arrive at the decision going forward.

CARICOM also plans to institute contingent rights that include education, access to primary and emergency health care, and affordable intra-regional travel, which has been a real obstacle in terms of the regional community being able to support neighbouring economies.

Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, who holds responsibility for the CSME, noted that the measure embodies what “every Caribbean citizen has wanted since we’ve had control of our destiny”:

This is what ordinary people want […]in a Region that is under-populated [and] facing the most difficult crises — from climate, to recovery from pandemic, to debt, to all kinds of other problems — if ever there was a time that we need to come together as one, it is now.

Facebook user Alista Bishop summed up the predominant reaction of Caribbean nationals in one word:

Finally!

Some, however, had their reservations. One concern was that oil-rich countries like Guyana will be inundated with people from other regional territories. One netizen, in asking whether or not the move would allow people to change their residency and citizenship status, wondered whether CARICOM could be “setting the stage for voter padding.” There is no current evidence to suggest that the free movement of Caribbean nationals within the region will have any impact on citizenship, which is a separate process altogether.

From Anguilla, Bernard Wattley felt that the decision required a consultative process:

To my mind, widespread consultation needs to precede major decisions that will impact the people, same for individual member countries. Leaders must not attempt to make decisions on their own, regardless of how good these decisions appear to be. […] How I wish CARICOM could move on from being a regional talk shop to more meaningful engagement with the people of the region.

Ella Drummond-Hoyos, while acknowledging that “progress has been made” during the 50 years of CARICOM's existence, noted that the people of the region feel it is not enough:

For while the people have forced the boundaries and forged an integration movement, the formal regional mechanisms always seem to be playing catchup!

Columnist Vaneisa Baksh, writing at Wired 868, took a more conservative view, saying, “Even when you support the idea of Caricom, it is hard to buy in to what it has turned out to be in its 50 years of existence”:

The intervening years have made cynics of most of us who have watched it doddering along—constantly hijacked by egos, inertia and incompetence, to the point where it has become ­synonymous with the underdevelopment of the region.

Of the Port of Spain meeting, Baksh “saw little to convince [her] that the mentalities have sufficiently changed.” Certain aspects of the gathering — the time capsule, the concert, both of which she felt were out of touch — “sent discouraging signals amidst the trumpets of hope”:

This is not the Caribbean we live in, and if this is the outdated version the anniversary planners believe us to still be, then I cannot harbour hope that they can guide us to the future we need.

Part of the solution, she believes, is to engage youth and strive for better communication about what is being done with regard to pressing issues like health, security, and climate finance.

Despite all these hurdles, however, Drummond-Hoyos remains “a believer in Caricom”:

I believe that in my lifetime full integration will be achieved. I believe with access to some reparation funds our leaders will be finally able to assure affordable and hassle free regional travel; easy movement of cargo; a single currency to support the the single market and economy; accelerated paths and opportunities for regional exports; a fortified a more integrated UWI; world leading regional Climate Change Centre; proactive Disaster management and Recovery; regional health research and treatment centre; regional public media centre; regional agricultural agency to ensure we keep feeding our people real food from farm to table; regional incubators for sports, performing and visual arts and entrepreneurship. Oh my dreams for our little region are as vivid as ever!

Dreams that may well begin to be realised by the free movement of the people who can bring those dreams to life.

The short answer? Yes and no.

Originally published on Global Voices

Feature image created using Canva Pro elements.

Have LGBTQ+ rights advanced in the Caribbean this year? Has the situation changed significantly since 2016, when Belizean gay rights activist Caleb Orozco won his legal challenge to a section of his country's Criminal Code? Well, yes and no.

In a landmark judgement on December 12, 2022, the Supreme Court of Barbados issued an oral ruling that struck down colonial-era laws criminalising consensual same-sex relations. The Court deemed Sections 9 and 12 of the Sexual Offences Act, which criminalise buggery and serious indecency, null and void on the basis of unconstitutionality. The case was filed against the Barbadian government by two local LGBTQ+ advocates, supported by regional non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

It is not clear at this time whether the government will appeal. In one report, the country's attorney general, Dale Marshall, appeared to have some concerns, but observed that he will make a decision once the written judgement is handed down in January.

The Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE) reported:

Barbados the Republic repeals buggery and gross indecency laws, confirming its commitment to upholding human rights for all… (1 of 2)
.#LGBTlitigationBarbados#barbadosbuggeryjudgment#barbadosgrossindecencyjudgment#Barbadosjudgment #CaribbeanLGBTQ pic.twitter.com/4FHBhz21y9

— ECADE (@EC_Equality) December 12, 2022

One of the claimants recognised the years of persistent campaigning that had led to this:

Repeal of the buggery law is a huge win for Barbados, says claimant René Holder-Mclean Ramirez, former Chair of ECADE and Director of Equals.
.
.#LGBTlitigationBarbados #Barbadosjudgement #barbados #lgbthumanrights #lgbtqhumanrights #lgbtlitigation #caribbeanlgbtq pic.twitter.com/RR9Xd8mJxy

— ECADE (@EC_Equality) December 15, 2022

A representative of the NGO Equals Barbados, which helps the LGBTQ+ community access services, welcomed the ruling:

This is a step in the right direction for the protection of LGBTQ+ people in Barbados as we continue to ensure stigma-free access to services and positive inclusion in society.

This is not the first such ruling in the Caribbean. In fact, it is the third for 2022. In Antigua and Barbuda, the High Court of Justice struck down legal provisions that criminalised same-sex relations in a landmark ruling on July 5, which declared two Sections of the Sexual Offences Act of 1995 unconstitutional. In St. Kitts and Nevis, the High Court ruled on August 29, that laws criminalising gay sex are unconstitutional, upholding the plaintiffs’ claim that Sections 56 and 57 of the Offences Against the Person Act violated the right to privacy and freedom of expression.

However, in two Caribbean countries that are British protected territories, there has been some confusion — and even legal reversals — over LGBTQ+ rights this year. In Bermuda, on March 14, the UK-based Privy Council determined that Section 53 of the Domestic Partnership Act (DPA), which confined the concept of marriage to a union between a man and a woman, was not unconstitutional. An appeals court had upheld the right of same-sex couples to marry, handing down its ruling in November 2018.

The Bermudan government challenged the ruling and the law (in the form of the Domestic Partnership Act). Couples who had married before the March decision were assured that their marriages would remain valid. Nevertheless, consensual sexual conduct in private was legalised in Bermuda in 1994. A provision in the Criminal Code regarding gross indecency between men was repealed in 2019.

In the Cayman Islands, the UK Privy Council handed down a similar ruling on marriage equality, although consensual sex is also legal there. Billie Bryan, founder and president of Colours Cayman, a nonprofit advocacy group for the LGBTQ+ community, told the Associated Press:

The Privy Council has done nothing more, by its decision, than reassert the oppressive political environment of yesteryear.

From his Jamaican perspective, Dane Lewis, director of the regional NGO Caribbean Forum for Liberation & Acceptance of Genders & Sexualities (CARIFLAGS), told Global Voices:

We have seen a general shift in attitudes for the better but sadly, in the spaces and sectors of society where things have always been bad, they continue to be bad. […] In the past few years, we have had a number of cases of murder. Homophobia and transphobia [have] persons still being made homeless, despite an increase in tolerance in the wider society. This is a huge challenge, as the state does not have resources to offer shelter to everyone.

In Jamaica, while attitudes may be changing, there have been no legal challenges this year to its archaic anti-sodomy laws, which remain on the books despite a 2020 report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights calling for the repeal of the island's Offences Against the Persons Act. The Jamaican government has not yet responded.

One African-American queer blogger who regularly visits the island and interacts with LGBTQ+ Jamaicans believes religious influence is to blame:

I look at it as the Jamaican version of ‘post-traumatic slave syndrome,’ and the continuation of the mental slavery of Christianity brought to Jamaica by the British colonizers and continued by white American Christian evangelicals.

Back in April 2018, there were joyful celebrations outside the High Court in Port of Spain, Trinidad, when a judge declared that the court had found Sections 13 and 16 of the country's Sexual Offences Act “unconstitutional, illegal, null, void, invalid and […] of no effect to the extent that these laws criminalise any acts constituting consensual sexual conduct between adults.” However, gay rights activist Jason Jones, the claimant in the case, confirmed recently:

The Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago has appealed the decriminalisation victory of 2018. That appeal will be heard at the T&T Appeal Court in the first quarter of 2023. Both myself and the Attorney General have made it clear that whoever loses that Appeal will then appeal to the Privy Council in London for a final Supreme Court decision on the matter.

In Guyana, meanwhile, it appears the winds of change are beginning to blow, with an announcement in August that one district — through an agreement between a local tourism office and the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) — is being promoted as a LGBTQ+ friendly destination. A survey conducted by SASOD in September suggested that the attitudes of the general public are ahead of those of lawmakers, who are more reluctant to change. According to a SASOD representative:

[T]he politicians are telling us that society isn’t ready for certain legal changes and society isn’t ready for policy changes and now, what this data is showing us, is that society is more than ready and society is ahead of the curve.

In the interim, the Barbados decision is being widely celebrated. CARIFLAGS posted on its Facebook page:

In another landmark judgement within the region, the courts of Barbados have ruled in favour of human rights and dignity for all by repealing the buggery and indecency laws. This ruling follows a series of similar judgments indicating a commitment by the courts to the protection and rights of LGBT+ folk in the Caribbean, consistent with constitutional doctrine, International Human Rights law and the age-old outcries by advocates and allies alike. […]

CariFLAGS applauds […] this milestone and appreciates very much the people, efforts and contributions that ensured this manifestation of justice. […]

A win for Barbados, is a win for all.

As Trinidadian journalist Wesley Gibbings tweeted, the positive developments should ultimately benefit all Caribbean citizens, and the society they live in:

Why is the decriminalising of private, consensual same-sex activity being viewed solely as a victory for the LGBT community? I hope all of #Barbados and the #Caribbean hail it as the triumph of the universality of human rights and of common sense.

— Wesley Gibbings (@wgibbings) December 14, 2022

Altogether, it has been an interesting year for LGBTQ+ rights in the Caribbean, but there is still much work to be done by local activists and, quite likely, more legal battles to come. Not as clear is whether citizens’ attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community have fundamentally changed — it is a matter still to be determined, perhaps on a country-by-country basis.

What's the future of regional tourism? Part 2 of 2

Originally published on Global Voices

Travel in the time of COVID-19. Image by Prachatai on Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Part 1 of this series discussed the status of the Caribbean's COVID-19 battle as of the beginning of June 2020. In this second instalment, we'll take a look at how the region plans to reopen its economies, most of which are reliant on tourism.

Caribbean tourism had a boom year in 2019. Then, toward the end of the year, COVID-19 emerged. The result has been a pandemic that caused the Caribbean Tourism Organization, in a series of podcasts, to dub the virus as “the unwanted visitor.”

As a major source of foreign exchange and employment for most Caribbean countries, the imperative to safely open up borders to overseas visitors, at least now that some regional territories appear to have a decent grasp on containing the number of COVID-19 cases, has become ever more pressing since May.

However, while a few islands have declared themselves ready and even set dates — whether tentative or firm — for reopening, others have not reached that stage. Some are unwilling to put any date on an opening at all.

Opening up travel

Among those that have declared themselves open for business from June are Antigua and Barbuda, which will welcome its first flight from the United States on June 4, and St. Lucia, which has announced it will take a “responsible phased approach to re-opening the tourism sector” on the same date — despite having extended a local state of emergency until September.

Belize, a Caribbean country situated along the northeastern coast of Central America, can boast no COVID-19 cases for over a month; along with Grenada and the Dutch island of Aruba, it appears ready to open borders soon. None of the three countries have yet announced dates, however. Aruba’s neighbour, Bonaire, also with zero cases, will end its travel ban on June 15.

Meanwhile, the US Virgin Islands reopened for tourists on June 1, although its state of emergency remains in place until July 11.

Taking it slow, despite the hype

The Cayman Islands (population 64,000) has no set date for returning to full normality, although one health institution there plans to conduct antibody testing for COVID immunity.

A hugely popular cruise ship destination, Cayman has already tested close to 20 percent of its population and has 150 cases. Tourism officials are planning a phased recovery, with no timeline set. However, the unpredictability of the virus was illustrated on June 3 with the announcement that a nine-year-old child has tested positive – a situation the islands’ Chief Medical Officer calls “sobering.”

Meanwhile, travel interests and hotel chains are gearing themselves up, taking bookings and hyping the region as a preferred destination. Pointing to the region’s relatively low infection rate, one travel website asserted that US visitors will be back in the Caribbean by June.

However, with the virus not completely dispelled in some countries that are planning to reopen, and fears that large numbers of visitors may spell danger for local populations, the mood in the Caribbean remains cautious.

The current chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, said as much in an interview with the BBC on May 26:

We are not going to be driven by dates, we are going to be driven by protocols that make us safe. […] We are trying to balance lives and livelihoods, like everyone else […] but the scale of unemployment has been crippling.

Mottley stressed that going forward, “the big issue” is the testing of travellers; she confirmed that stakeholder discussions with regard to detailed travel protocols are ongoing. Her own island, with a population of 287,000, has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 for six days; 11 cases were recorded for May, and there has been extensive testing. While restrictions on shopping have been lifted and citizens have access to the island's beaches, the Barbadian government has not yet announced a date for reopening its borders.

In Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness confirmed at a press briefing that CARICOM is seeking to collaborate on new protocols for tourists arriving on its shores. Referring to a “new normal,” he noted:

These protocols probably won’t be much different to what other countries will have, but as a group, I think there is a general understanding of what the future of travel will look like.

Balancing act

It’s a dilemma for Caribbean governments, torn between ongoing public health concerns and the reality of a regional, tourism-dependent economy now in a downward spiral. The Planning Institute of Jamaica has predicted a major contraction in the gross domestic product (GDP) for the April to June quarter, primarily as a result of the measures being taken to address the pandemic.

One more factor should be entered into the equation, to which the CARICOM chair referred: June 1 was the official start of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, a period which the Caribbean faces with increasing trepidation, thanks to ever-worsening impacts of the climate crisis. Over the past few years, the storms have increased in intensity, with devastating effects.

2020 is proving to be a year of enormous challenges and great unpredictability for the Caribbean. Is the region past the worst with COVID-19? It may be too early to say, but it seems likely that there may be more trials to come.

There's something for everyone — poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction

Originally published on Global Voices

Covers for three of the nine books longlisted for the 2020 Bocas Prize, sponsored by One Caribbean Media. Image courtesy Bocas LitFest, used with permission.

With Trinidad and Tobago closing its borders, Jamaica being declared a disaster zone, and new Caribbean territories declaring their own index cases of COVID-19, the outbreak is re-shaping life in the region, with people practising social distancing and in many cases, self-quarantining.

Humans are social creatures, though, so restrictions on social gatherings can be tough, particularly for Caribbean people, who love socialising so much they've even got a special word for it: liming. Let's face it, there's only so much Netflix you can watch, so many hours you can spend scrolling through social media feeds. Luckily, Trinidad and Tobago's beloved literary festival, Bocas, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, has released its longlist of “nine books by writers with roots in seven Caribbean territories” for the 2020 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature.

The prize recognises books in three different genres — poetry, fiction, and literary non-fiction — published by Caribbean authors in the preceding year. The winner of the prize, worth $10,000 United States dollars, will be announced in May 2020. The festival itself was meant to take place from May 1-3, but given the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced today that there will be a postponement to September 18-20, 2020.

The 2020 longlist boasts seven women writers and a range of titles that are sure to keep you riveted during your COVID-19 quarantine.

Compilation image of book covers for the nine books longlisted for the 2020 Bocas Prize, sponsored by One Caribbean Media. Image courtesy Bocas LitFest, used with permission.

Poetry

According to the judging panel, chaired this year by author Earl Lovelace, Trinidad-born, United States-based writer Lauren K. Alleyne's “Honeyfish” was chosen for “the refusal of silence [it] issues with its references to the dangers faced by the Black body in ‘America.’” Her poems speak to themes of legacy, inheritance, and survival.

“Skin Can Hold,” by acclaimed Trinidadian-Scottish poet, Vahni Capildeo, creates a “compelling, dazzling” world in which speakers react to writers and thinkers ranging from Martin Carter to Shakespeare. A refreshingly original piece of work, the judges suggested that the collection's “inherent hybridity […] raises the bar for what poetry can formally achieve.”

From the British Virgin Islands comes Richard Georges’ “Epiphaneia,” set in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Particularly relevant for citizens of small island developing states (SIDS) like the Caribbean, as the climate crisis unfolds, these are poems that speak to resilience, something the world needs more than ever right now. In the words of the judges, the poems allow us to “comprehend disaster with an alertness to a complexity that carries us beyond the usual triad of narrative, lamentation, and outrage.”

Fiction

Women writers own this category, and perhaps the best known of these is Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat. Her collection of eight short stories, “Everything Inside,” masterfully captures the broader repercussions of her characters’ situations and how their choices personally affect them — subtle and spellbinding at the same time.

“The Confessions of Frannie Langton” is the first novel by United Kingdom-based Caymanian writer Sara Collins. Part Caribbean Gothic, part psychological thriller, the judges describe it as “a doomed love drama that inescapably shocks its early nineteenth-century audience in the Old Bailey.”

Spanning a time frame that runs from pre-Independence in Jamaica to Donald Trump's America, Curdella Forbes’ “A Tall History of Sugar” tells the tale of a man “born without skin” and his soul mate who shields him from the inevitable fallout over his appearance. The Bocas judges praised the author's innovation, “vivid language” and “expert construction of fragile and robust characters”.

Nonfiction

The well-researched, strong literary style of “Moments of Cooperation and Incorporation” by Jamaican Erna Brodber — a compilation of six essays that examine the connections between African-Americans and Jamaica between 1782 and 1996 —captivated the judges by making history come alive.

Barbadian Aaron Kamigusha’s “Beyond Coloniality” looks at the Caribbean's radical intellectual tradition, with particular focus on C.L.R. James and Sylvia Wynter. The judging panel described the book as “an erudite work which combines compelling and deeply researched academic analysis with creative and sophisticated literary criticism … often underscored with a thoughtful and poetic tone.”

Finally, “Shame on Me,” by Guyanese-Canadian Tessa McWatt, examines the concept of identity by embarking on a journey that explores family, race, belonging, and migration, lauded by the judges as “a beautifully written, profoundly moving, and deeply reflective book.”

Originally published on Global Voices

Zurich, Switzerland. FIFA promotes fairplay on the banners around a football pitch. On 27 May 2015, FIFA executive members were arrested in the Hotel Baur au Lac in Zurich. Photo by Roman Beer. Copyright Demotix

The Caribbean is still collectively stunned at the swiftness and surreptitiousness with which Swiss authorities, on behalf of the United States’ Department of Justice, arrested FIFA officials and corporate executives on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and corruption. But that hasn't stopped the regional blogosphere from having a good belly laugh.

Two high-profile Caribbean citizens — Jack Warner, a Trinidadian who is a former FIFA vice president, and Jeffrey Webb, a Caymanian who took over the post from Warner — were named among the indicted defendants. Webb was arrested in Zurich, while Warner turned himself in to Trinidad and Tobago police after a formal extradition request was made by the US government.

Suspicions of corruption have long plagued the football world governing body and Caribbean netizens are no strangers to the many clandestine practices that take place in regional soccer. Any surprise expressed online about the arrests came not from a lack of awareness about alleged corruption, but from a sense of disbelief that the piper had finally arrived to collect his payment.

In a region that does not have a good track record when it comes to bringing white collar crimes to justice, most people were captivated by the fact that Uncle Sam would see it fit to finally call foul. In a sense, the US government didn't really have a choice — many of the crimes were, after all, carried out on American soil. Just as importantly, the country isn't bogged down by the insane level of soccer fervour that has seemed to stymie other governments from calling out FIFA on its manner of doing business.

Facebook user Natasha Ramnauth explained the overwhelming citizen media reaction this way:

The malicious gleefulness with which our nation greeted the news of Mr. Jack Warner's arrest yesterday was truly indicative of our lack of maturity. Instead of being ashamed that it took an external agency to do what we consistently fail or refuse to do, which is hold people to account, we construct memes and make stupid remarks about ‘party done’. We continue to support politicians who keep election dates in their ‘back pocket’, agencies run by people who fail to conduct due diligence or practice accountability, the list is endless. Shame on all of us Trinidad and Tobago.

Despite her admonishment, however, the memes and clever status updates were unstoppable.

One of the first comments was from blogger Rhoda Bharath, who referred to Jack Warner's infamous face off with investigative reporter Andrew Jennings. When asked about his involvement in a ticket scandal, Warner repeatedly told Jennings to “go fuck [him]self”, physically assaulted him and even suggested that Jennings “go meet [his] mother”, who was already deceased. Bharath cleverly quipped:

Breaking News: Andrew Jennings’ mother has been located and has a response!

Memes in this vein soon followed:

There was also a video featuring a popular local puppet, Santana, as he spent a night in jail with Jack Warner:

Speaking of jail, where some satirical websites assumed Warner would soon be doing musical collaborations with the likes of Jamaica's Vybz Kartel, there was also this meme, which was widely shared:

Other memes referred to one particular political controversy in Trinidad and Tobago, Section 34, which involved an attempt to pass legislation that could have resulted in two financiers of the prime minister's party, Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh, escaping corruption and money laundering charges. The accused have been fighting extradition to the United States for at least five years.

Of course, no FIFA meme-fest would be complete without a jab at Sepp Blatter, the four-time FIFA president who is currently seeking another term, and who presided over the world football organisation while rampant corruption, bid-rigging, bribery and money laundering allegedly took place. Many are still astonished that Blatter was not among those arrested:

The FIFA election, which still appears set to give Blatter the nod for a fifth term as president, will take place today.

Originally published on Global Voices

Former FIFA Vice-President Jack Warner; photo by the BBC World Service, used under a CC BY-NC 2.0 license.

Whether or not they love soccer, the only thing Caribbean netizens are talking about today is the announcement that the United States Department of Justice is indicting nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives for racketeering, conspiracy, and corruption. Working with Washington, Swiss police carried out a special operation in the early morning hours to arrest the soccer officials and extradite them to the United States on federal corruption charges.

Jack Warner, the Trinidad-born former FIFA vice president turned politician, is one of the indicted defendants, along with Caymanian Jeffrey Webb, who took over FIFA's vice presidency from Warner and promised to investigate the many corruption allegations plaguing the world football governing body. (Warner's allegedly corrupt practices were widely explored in Scottish investigative journalist Andrew's Jennings‘ book Foul, which examined everything from voter rigging to ticket scandals.)

FIFA's president, Sepp Blatter, was neither charged nor detained in this morning's raid at an exclusive lakeside hotel in Zurich. FIFA has since issued the following statement:

FIFA welcomes actions that can help contribute to rooting out any wrongdoing in football. We understand that today’s actions by the Swiss Federal Office of Justice on behalf of the US authorities and the Swiss Office of the Attorney General (initiated by FIFA through the submission of the file on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process) relate to different matters.

Firstly, the arrest of six individuals this morning in Zurich concerns investigations by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of the State of New York. The Swiss authorities, acting on behalf of their US counterparts, arrested the individuals for activities carried out in relation with CONCACAF and CONMEBOL business.

The second instance follows FIFA’s initiative of presenting the file on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process to the Swiss Office of the Attorney General in November 2014.

FIFA maintains that it is “fully cooperating” with the investigation into the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process. The organisation also says it will proceed as planned with the FIFA presidential election, scheduled to take place this Friday, when current president Sepp Blatter will seek a fifth term. Blatter subsequently issued his own statement on the matter:

This is a difficult time for football, the fans and for FIFA as an organisation. […]

Let me be clear: such misconduct has no place in football and we will ensure that those who engage in it are put out of the game. Following the events of today, the independent Ethics Committee – which is in the midst of its own proceedings regarding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups – took swift action to provisionally ban those individuals named by the authorities from any football-related activities at the national and international level. These actions are on top of similar steps that FIFA has taken over the past year to exclude any members who violate our own Code of Ethics.

We will continue to work with the relevant authorities and we will work vigorously within FIFA in order to root out any misconduct, to regain your trust and ensure that football worldwide is free from wrongdoing.

Trinidadian journalist and blogger Vernon O'Reilly-Ramesar responded to Blatter's comments by tweeting:

#rotfl RT @SeppBlatter: We welcome the actions of the Swiss & US authorities. Read my statement – http://t.co/ATnoo1egMk

— V. O'Reilly-Ramesar (@globewriter) May 27, 2015

The Trinidad-and-Tobago-based website Wired 868 broke the news in the regional blogosphere this morning, with an in-depth post that detailed the nature of the charges (wire fraud, bribery, and money laundering, with bribe money and kickbacks amounting to more than US $150 million) and the names of those indicted. The blog was particularly interested in the charges against Jack Warner:

The Department of Justice revealed that Darryl Warner, the son of defendant Jack Warner and a former FIFA development officer, waived indictment and pleaded guilty on 15 July 2013 to a two-count information charging him with wire fraud and the structuring of financial transactions.

Daryan Warner, the eldest son of Jack Warner, waived indictment and pleaded guilty on 25 October 2013 to a three-count information charging him with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and the structuring of financial transactions.

Daryan forfeited over US$1.1 (TT$6.9) million around the time of his plea and agreed to pay a second forfeiture money judgment at the time of sentencing.

The Warner brothers each face as many as ten years in prison for altering financial transactions in a manner intended to evade currency-reporting requirements.

The charges from the US Department of Justice come as a welcome move for many Caribbean football enthusiasts, who have been despondent about the perception of such rampant corruption sullying a game that the region—and the world—adores. Quite humourously, Twitter's popular “God” account put it this way:

Only America could bring the force of impartial justice to FIFA, because it's the only country on earth that doesn't care about football.

— God (@TheTweetOfGod) May 27, 2015

Wired 868 explained that “two generations of soccer officials abused their positions of trust for personal gain, frequently through an alliance with unscrupulous sports marketing executives who shut out competitors and kept highly lucrative contracts for themselves through the systematic payment of bribes and kickbacks”, with many of the schemes originating in the Caribbean and Latin America.

While speculation was rife as to when a request for Jack Warner's extradition would be made, Warner was busy issuing statements maintaining that he was unaware of any charges. On a local radio show earlier today, he stated:

I have not been told or advised or questioned on any matter. I’ve heard what you have heard.

According to Wired 868, the radio station invited calls-ins after the interview, where listeners were asked whether they thought Warner would end up in a US prison. Unsurprisingly, “several people said ‘no'”. Despite numerous allegations of political corruption over the years, no public official has ever been convicted on corruption charges in Trinidad and Tobago.

Warner later issued a press release further emphasizing his innocence:

The people of Trinidad and Tobago will know that I quit FIFA and international football more than four years ago and that over the past several years I have recommitted my life to the work of improving the lot of every citizen of every creed and race in this nation. […]

I have fought fearlessly against all forms of injustice and corruption.

I have been afforded no due process and I have not even been questioned in this matter. I reiterate that I am innocent of any charges. I have walked away from the politics of world football to immerse myself in the improvement of lives in this country where I shall, God willing, die.

The actions of FIFA no longer concern me. I cannot help but note however that these cross- border coordinated actions come at a time when FIFA is assembled for elections to select a President who is universally disliked by the international community.

It has since been reported that the United States has made a formal extradition request for Jack Warner.

US Law enforcement authorities have made an official request to the Central Authority for extradition @CNC3TV

— Khamal Ethan Georges (@khamal) May 27, 2015

Warner's legal team, meanwhile, has taken this approach:

Jack Warner's attorneys have advised him against making further comment and to “stick to his press statement” at this time @CNC3TV

— Khamal Ethan Georges (@khamal) May 27, 2015

Regional netizens will undoubtedly continue to follow this story with interest, to learn of the fates of Jack Warner, Jeffrey Webb, and, of course, “the beautiful game“. Warner has since turned himself in to Trinidad and Tobago police.

Originally published on Global Voices

Six Caribbean teams are competing in this year's winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia: Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, Jamaica, the British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands. Naturally, sports fans throughout the region want to watch – but there's a problem. SportsMax, a premium subscription-based television station, has been awarded exclusive rights to the 2014 Sochi games in the Caribbean. “Inside The Games” reported on the details:

The deal, announced between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and  International Media Content Ltd (IMC), the parent company of SportsMax, is applicable for 21 nations and territories ranging from Anguilla to Trinidad and Tobago.

It consists of exclusive English language broadcast rights on all media platforms, with live coverage to be provided on both SportsMax and SportsMax2 for the duration of the Games when they get underway in Sochi.

Columbus Communications, owners of the Flow cable network which operates in several Caribbean territories, took to its social media outlets to address the issue:

Flow Fans, please be advised that SportsMax holds the exclusive broadcast rights to the ‘2014 Winter Olympics’ in the Caribbean for the period February 7th to 23rd 2014. Olympic programming will be broadcast mainly on Sportsmax 1 with some content on Sportsmax 2. Consequently, we are legally required to blackout the coverage of the games on all channels including but not limited to NBC & CBC who will be carrying portions of the SOCHI games. During the blackout periods the affected channels will carry a notice to our customers advising of the blackout requirement and directing you to SportsMax. 

We understand the inconvenience that this issue poses and are aware and acknowledge that blocked content is disruptive for our viewers, however we MUST comply. Once the broadcast rights to air a program is (sic) purchased we are obligated to block out that program (when requested) as both a legal and regulatory (TATT) obligation. Failing to comply could lead to legal actions against Columbus Communications Trinidad Limited. This arrangement is not unique to Trinidad, all video service providers worldwide will be required to take similar action based on the Network which has purchased the rights in that country. 

Irate Jamaicans posted on Flow Jamaica's Facebook page about having to pay to watch their team parading in the opening ceremony and competing in the games. Diego Armando Thomas had this to say: 

So because i don't have the #SportsMax package on #Flow I am not allowed to watch the #Olympics? This is BULL. You block the channels am paying for? Really!!!

Another viewer, David Valentine, urged Jamaicans to take action by writing to the Jamaican Broadcast Commission:

This is a sheg up situation, taking advantage of the people who no have no options. The blasted Olympics should not be held ransom, by forcing people to pay for some purely subscriber based channel. Imagine if Showtime did have the exclusive rights to the Olympics? Something wrong with this blow wow picture man. Them really corrupted. PEOPLE WRITE TO THE BROADCAST COMMISION!!

Others expressed their disgust on Twitter:

Coulda been watching the #WinterOlympics only @GoWithFlowJa chose to give all the rights to SportsMax who isn't even showing it live #SMH

— Kimberly (@K_Wil_) February 7, 2014

One viewer who subscribed to the SportsMax service was dissatisfied with the coverage of the opening ceremony:

I'm tryin to watch the dam Winter Olympics opening ceremony and these assholes on #SportsMax a chat STFU!!!’ And come off my screen!!!

— Lexy Nash (@WhoDatLexy876) February 7, 2014

Competitor cable provider Lime has been offering viewers in some of the countries in which it operates, a free trial of SportsMax for the duration of the games:

Get FREE Sportsmax trial during the Winter Olympics on LIME TV pic.twitter.com/h0A1Z7bsWA — Anderson Armstrong (@bloodarmstrong) February 7, 2014

The issue of broadcast rights for local television stations versus those of the cable company was discussed in this post:

Television programmes generate advertising revenue for broadcasters such as TV6 and CNC3. While customers pay cable providers for premium channels, it should be noted that  the programmes which occupy the schedules on these channels are governed by separate contracts.

While SportsMax is indigenous to the region, it is a pay-per-view service, and some netizens have complained about the failure of free-to-air broadcasters to obtain rights to the games. Yvon Tripper commented on an article in the Bermuda Royal Gazette:

IOC simply gives rights to the highest bidder. Nothing is stopping a Bermuda-based broadcaster from asking the IOC for Bermuda-only rights, and then just using the American and Canadian feeds. If no one in Bermuda pays for broadcast rights for the island's Olympic coverage rights, then there's no point in complaining when someone else does. The IOC would be happy to exclude Bermuda from the Caribbean region if it mean that they got more money — it's all about the Redbirds, baby.

While Trinidad and Tobago is not competing in the games, none of the terrestrial broadcasters have purchased rights to the games, forcing interested viewers to subscribe to SportsMax for live coverage. Annoyed cable subscribers vented their feelings on Twitter:

.@SportsMax_Carib bought the rights. RT @DayVan_TeaMal: Why is the Sochi Olympics blocked on @Flowtt? — Hassan Voyeau (@tech_tt) February 6, 2014

@Flowtt well give us Sportsmax free during that time

— Mark De Silva (@Markanthonysilv) February 7, 2014

The Sochi Games run until February 23, 2014.

Originally published on Global Voices

Code Red blogs about “two recent cases reported in regional media [which] demonstrate the extent of the injustice which girls who survive sexual assault face.”

Originally published on Global Voices

Creative Commess hosts a blog symposium “about Caribbean people, about West Indian people, about our contemporary experiences … ranging through race & identity to culture, mental health to constructs of beauty and more,” with contributions from seven Caribbean bloggers.

Originally published on Global Voices

On Wednesday, March 23, the first full-scale simulated tsunami alert exercise will take place in 33 countries in the Caribbean to test the effectiveness of alert, monitoring and warning systems (Hashtag on Twitter: EXERCISE – NOT REAL #CW11) . Open Street Map France [Fr] and Crisis Camp Paris [Fr] will join this exercise to encourage awareness and use of social media tools during emergencies in the French speaking West Indies.

Originally published on Global Voices

Bloggings by Boz writes: “The FAO reports that February 2011 was a yet a new high on food prices. This has led to several warnings from organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean including ECLAC [Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean] and the IICA [Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture] that commodity markets are volatile and several countries are very vulnerable to price swings and food insecurity issues.”

Originally published on Global Voices

The stories and images of devastation pouring out of Haiti since the 7.0 earthquake on 12 January have shocked many citizens of neighbouring Caribbean countries. Many have joined relief efforts, and some have engaged in serious soul-searching about Haiti's history and the role the Caribbean should play in long-term reconstruction. And inevitably there has been discussion and debate about whether, and to what degree, the wider Caribbean is prepared for future major tremors, given that most of the region is earthquake prone. (Repeating Islands has posted a list of major historical earthquakes in the Caribbean, from the 17th century to the 20th.)

A 5.8-magnitude tremor in the vicinity of the Cayman Islands on 19 January and the 6.1-magnitude aftershock in Haiti on 20 January only added fuel to the discussion. Many bloggers — such as Yardflex — have linked to media reports discussing the ongoing risk, or suggesting that the Caribbean is “due for” another major tremor. As @anniepaul (Jamaica-based writer Annie Paul) remarked on Twitter after hearing of the Caymans tremor: “we must be next!”

Two days after the Haiti earthquake, Living in Barbados noted:

Most of us in the Caribbean think of our disasters in terms of weather-related events, such as hurricanes. But earthquakes are different. They cannot really be predicted with much accuracy, though one can know of their likelihood because of where the Earth's fault lines are…. they do not happen with equal frequency and do not have seasons. When your country's last experience of something is 100-200 years ago, it's hard to expect people to know what to do.

A few days later, Canada-based Jamaican writer Pamela Mordecai asked, “Can we avoid catastrophes like the earthquake in Haiti?”:

The ideal thing … would be to know when the earthquake is coming.

There is one famous case where the successful forecasting of a quake led to the saving of many lives. In 1975 Chinese officials ordered the evacuation of the city of Haicheng (population one million) mere days before a quake that had a 7.3 magnitude. Only a small portion of the population was hurt or killed…. The observation of animal behaviour was in part what led to the prediction of that earthquake….

It's hard to imagine that listening to the dogs and cats might have spared Haiti.

Bahamian Womanish Words reflected on the element of chance, or luck:

We in the Bahamas are as vulnerable to quakes and tsunamis as any other place, and I never really knew it until now. The window is full of calm, a silent, still night is coming down, Haiti is crying, and I am stunned by the thought of all that we know and love around us, swept away in one terrible moment, that it happens to people all the time, that it is only luck so far that has saved us.

And Trinidadian Coffeewallah wondered if recent natural disasters were part of a wider pattern:

It has become increasingly commonplace for Mother Nature to get even with us humans. Drought, flooding, earthquake, Tsunamis, we’ve seen a lot of activity…. Humans have grown to expect that we are at the top of the food chain and think we will always have it our way, perhaps Nature has other ideas for us or at least we must acknowledge that it comes with a price.

Other bloggers were pragmatic. Islas Bellas in the Cayman Islands, noting that “there's nothing like a few tremors to bring out the terror in people,” posted ten earthquake safety tips (and explaining that familiar advice about standing in a doorway during an earthquake isn't such a good idea). Trinidadian Taran Rampersad, writing at KnowTnT.com, argued for the implementation of emergency SMS (short message service) systems, to make communications easier in the event of a disaster:

Imagine being trapped under some rubble with only a mobile phone for company. You could be hurt, bleeding, hungry, dehydrated or any combination of the above. If the mobile infrastructure is even partially intact, calling people on the phone would be limited by the likely overload of the mobile system. But SMS messages get queued. They also drain less battery life which, if you're stuck, could be very important in saving your life or the life of someone you love….

The technology exists. Unfortunately, the concern never seems to exist until afterwards.

kid5rivers wrote about the importance of enforcing construction standards in Trinidad and Tobago:

…the drive must begin … with the massive public housing sector, where, for too long, shoddiness has been allowed to rule. For the life of me I cannot understand why inadequately reinforced buildings are permitted to be erected and or occupied.

And Now Is Wow Too simply decided to sign up for a Red Cross first aid course: “Not being ‘negative’, just practical,” she wrote. “Whether injuries are as a result of ‘simple’ daily mishaps or natural disasters, it's good for us to have these basic skills.”

As if to reinforce the sense of urgency about preparedness, Repeating Islands posted an article by geologist and tsunami expert Brian McAdoo, who analysed the Haiti earthquake and declared:

This earthquake should be a wake-up call for Kingston [Jamaica]. Should the 1692 earthquake happen today, Kingston would be devastated, albeit not to the same degree as Port-au-Prince. If these strong-shaking events occur in regions with poor construction, after the earthquake is done wreaking its havoc, the tsunami will finish the job, leaving little hope for those stuck in the collapsed buildings.

Global Voices’ Special Coverage Page on the earthquake in Haiti is here.

Originally published on Global Voices

As earthquake tremors are felt in the Cayman Islands, Islas Bellas posts a few safety tips.