“Vows made in storms are forgotten in calm.” ~ Thomas Fuller.

I have no recollection of my first severe weather event.  Growing up first in the UK, in Manchester, rain was an ever present fact of life.  But it was mostly the persistent, miserable drizzle kind of rain, raindrops so fine they could be more like a mist.  Moving to Jamaica at a young age introduced me to tropical downpours, with huge, icy cold rain drops that you could count until they increased with frequency and became a deluge.  During hurricane season (June too soon; July stand by; August come it must; September remember; October all over was the now outdated mantra that we chanted many years ago) we would hear about hurricanes out there somewhere, but somehow in all the years I lived in Jamaica we never experienced even a close call.

My family’s arrival in 1963 followed Flora’s effects on Jamaica in 1963, but we were on a ship that lingered out in the Caribbean, politely allowing Flora to do her thing before patiently making its way to a Jamaica knocked sideways by her temper.  In later years I well remember some torrential rains that may or may not have had anything to do with a distant hurricane.  I was in my teens, and after the rain finally subsided, I recall wading out in the water with a friend, walking as if upriver on what was the main road to Chapelton.  But the great thing about Jamaica even then, was that Mother Nature was respected.  When she took over the agenda there was nothing to do but await her mood to change.  You didn’t try to live life as usual.  You took a front row seat to watch,  or covered up under your blanket and listened to her pound away on your roof top, and didn’t do anything but wait her out.

The first hurricane to dramatically hit Jamaica in more recent years (though it was almost 40 years ago now) was Gilbert.  He was so catastrophic that a local musician (Lovindeer) wrote a timeless song about the effects.  To say that Jamaicans face catastrophe with equanimity and a strong sense of humor is an understatement.  Prior to Beryl trashing Jamaica’s south coast (and various interior areas), there was a dramatic video of a horizontal man holding on to a fence for dear life as he gave a verbal report of the weather, while a palm tree flailed wildly behind him.  Almost off screen you could see someone holding his feet up in the air, and the string that was pulling the palm tree for effect! In the aftermath of the hit, you can anticipate seeing more such videos, mixed in with the more serious scenes of destruction.

In the so-called third world or less developed countries, it is amazing to see how quickly they can recover even after Mother Nature does her worst.  After Gilbert most of the new construction used concrete as its base, up to and including the roof, with iron rebar providing the backbone of the buildings.  So these structures (even without building codes and inspectors making rounds) tend to be hurricane proof.  In the country areas, most residents use propane gas for cooking, or can readily build a wood fire, so power outages are handled with aplomb.  And since those power outages may come along unexpectedly even in calm weather, most homes are always equipped with candles, flashlights and the old-fashioned but reliable ‘home sweet home’ kerosene lamps. 

In my own life I have recently experimented with off-grid living, spending time on a piece of land in a rural part of Florida that has neither electricity nor water.  You develop a different relationship with these resources when you recognize their finite nature.  In a country where you can go from air-conditioned living room to air-conditioned car to air-conditioned office, the outdoor temperature in the 90s (heat index 105) is barely noticeable, a momentary inconvenience.  But when you choose to live in an RV that is powered by solar energy, you find that a strong fan and nature’s ventilation will have to do!  When you are aware that your source of water is limited to what is in a tank, you learn to be very thrifty in all of your water-based activities.  But I am sure that for many readers the question would be, why would you?

It is clear that our current series of ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ weather events are coming more frequently.  From forest fires burning wild in California, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada to Madam Beryl, the earliest Cat 5 hurricane ever, we are becoming inured to the hyperbolic adjectives used to describe such events.  ‘Climate change’ is no longer subject to debate, nor is the question as to the causes, although some may still wish to believe that the human race has nothing to do with it, it is just nature’s cycles.  But what to do about it, is the more significant question.  And are we making progress in the big ticket items, at governmental levels?

After Beryl wiped out some of the small islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, hitting them with her full force, the Prime Minister has gone on record calling out the developed countries for all they are not doing to address climate change, while the most vulnerable of the developing countries feel the wrath of the effects. He has called out the G20 countries who are responsible for ‘80% of global emissions, for not doing enough, but making ‘soothing noises’ at their conferences.

In Jamaica there is a saying ‘Jackass say the world no level’, and climate injustice is just one manifestation of an unjust world.  In the days ahead we will see evidence of the resilience of residents of these affected countries as they take matters into their own hands, clearing roads, rebuilding homes, restoring their lives.  They won’t be waiting on governmental agencies or insurance adjustors.  In no time it will seem as if Beryl was but a nightmare (of course for those hardest hit, it will take longer).  From the outside we may not see this on national news or formal media reporting.  Thankfully social media does a better job of putting out live reports; videos of the worst of the damage; evidence of the misery felt by those who have lost everything.  And communities will come together to assist those unable to help themselves. 

As we scroll through the videos that show us the power of nature unleashed, and the drama of life-threatening weather events, we need to be as diligent about pushing for action on the part of those in power, demanding long-term solutions for future generations.

This Friday morning I hope that you are appreciating all you have, wherever you are.  For those of my family and friends that I have not yet heard from, I am trusting that all is well, and that power and internet will soon allow you to contact us with news of your safety.  If not, may you have sufficient water and food to keep everyone healthy, and I hope that the roof over your head is secure!

Have a wonderful weekend, Family!

One Love!

Namaste.