#BTEditorial – Rebuilding stronger and faster after natural disasters

It is time to admit that there are worrying levels of poverty in this island. And it is reflected not only in the growing number of homeless wandering our streets, but in the poor quality of too many houses in this country.

We are proud to show off the palatial, stately homes that decorate our main highway from the Grantley Adams International Airport, and other housing developments scattered across most parishes.

But we have to come to terms with the fact that many Barbadians are building sub-standard accommodation out of a sheer desire to have a roof, any roof, over their heads.

They are prepared to simply cobble together a few sheets of old galvanized roofing and boards because that is all they can afford.

One of the last Country Inequality Brief, produced by the Inter-American Development Bank said overall household poverty levels here are on the rise and increased from 15.1 per cent in 2010 to 17.2 per cent in 2016.

The fact that there are no current statistics on the state of poverty in the island is a serious indictment on our policymakers. But we will speak to that on another occasion.

In the context of Hurricane Elsa which struck the island on Friday July 2, one cannot help but speculate that the bulk of the more than 1000 cases of damage to homes was made worse because of poor construction.

The pictures of destruction in the local media point clearly to less than desirable quality of housing. It is not something we should feel proud of, especially in a country that espouses hopes of reaching developed country status.

We in no way seek to condemn the poor for their circumstances. What we are suggesting is that it is in the national interest to incentivize Barbadians to build better, stronger homes that provide greater resistance to the threat that faces us each year between the months of June and November.

It was not long ago that people filing income tax returns could claim for expenditure on refurbishments and other improvements to their homes.

Other tax incentives included claims for home insurance and improvements that strengthened homes against hurricanes such as hurricane shutters and other retrofitting.

Sadly, these important inducements that encouraged homeowners to keep their homes in top condition have been removed. There is ample evidence that we are paying the price for this decision by various Ministers of Finance.

It is initiatives like these that do not require any expenditure by the state, that will make a significant impact on the quality of our housing.

Instead of netting off that expense from the personal income taxes of Barbadians, we must collectively as a country, pay to repair well over 1000 homes which should have been in a better state.

We also find it disturbing those years after so much was made of the National Building Code, it is yet to be made a legally required standard for new home and building construction in this country.

Ideas and solutions abound in Barbados, but regrettably, implementation remains our Achilles heel.

When it comes to the performance of our major companies during and post-Hurricane Elsa, there is much to be disappointed about.

We have had enough experiences in the Caribbean with extreme weather systems that all the utilities in Barbados should be in a much stronger position to respond.

The Barbados Light & Power Company (BL&P) which is owned and controlled by Canadian power giant, Emera, has felt the wrath of Barbadians who are rightfully not pleased with the BL&P’s post-Elsa response.

The need to replace more than 200 poles in a 75-mile per hour hurricane signals an issue with maintenance. There have been numerous complaints that BL&P was not responding in a timely manner to reports of falling poles and utility lines covered in foliage.

We suspect that one of the main issues with BL&P is manpower. After significant downsizing to maximize revenue, the company may just not have enough boots on the ground to deliver the reconnection of service across the island.

The damage from Hurricane Elsa should not have resulted in so many residents without power five days after the event.

With its ownership of several power companies across the region, there is no reason why Emera (BL&P) should not have called in for assistance from its sister companies.

Among the recommendations we would make to the utility regulators is the inclusion of response to the complaints about poles.

Moreover, at the start of the hurricane season, all the utility companies should be made to comprehensively report to Barbadians on their state of readiness.

We are not talking about broad statements, but definitive details. We should know whether replacement parts are in stock; that a comprehensive check on the status of poles has been conducted; that teams of linesmen and women are in place and that contact has been made with other regional companies to be on standby in the event of a major hit.