The rain over the last week has proved one thing: St Lucia is a ticking time bomb. Even before the passage of Hurricane Tomas in October of 2010 there were definite signs that our drainage system, our poor building planning and the destruction of our forests were having devastating effects on the island. However Tomas exposed even more the frailty of this land that gave us birth. Over the weekend it was more of the same with people having to be evacuated from their homes due to flooding and small landslides. In Soufriere patients had to be removed from the hospital to secure locations and two shelters were opened. With the hurricane season around the corner and weather patterns that are far from normal, it would seem that St Lucia’s most pressing concern should be fixing as much as possible our drainage systems, especially when it comes to the dredging of rivers and securing areas prone to landslides. This may cost a pretty penny but if we don’t act we could be heading for an even worse disaster than Tomas. (Photos of Soufriere by Leo Evans)
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