aquest
- Jul 19
- 2 min read

Letter of the Day | Consider Haitians as Viable Force for Disaster Relief

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I apologise for my recent absence from these pages. This was due to the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl; for nine days, we’ve been without power, and for 10 days, we’ve had no internet, Digicel, or Flow signal worth speaking of up here where I live in East Portland.

During this time of isolation, I’ve been reflecting on several interconnected issues:

– The impact of Hurricane Beryl on Jamaica

– JPS’s response to the disaster

– Haiti’s potential role in CARICOM, particularly in disaster relief

Haiti comprises over 62 per cent of CARICOM’s population and could potentially provide valuable, cost-effective technical assistance to the several Caribbean nations now in need, especially after natural disasters like Beryl. It’s worth noting that Hispaniola, comprising nearby Haiti and La Republica Dominicana, was largely unaffected by this hurricane.

While Jamaica’s 1,200-plus megawatt capacity grid is based on energising 14,000-plus kilometres of transmission and distribution lines, Haiti’s network, though their generated capacity is significantly less, far exceeds the size of Jamaica’s. They supply a customer base equal to 40 per cent of their 11.58 million population, which is over twice the grid electricity customer base of the other 14 full members of CARICOM combined. Haitian linesmen and French, Creole, English-speaking engineers supervise the large Haitian network.

My comments are those of a former Electricity Authority chairman under PM Seaga, Minister Ross, and Minister EK Powell. With my long years in this line of energy work, I have been able to observe and evaluate linesmen practices in Sweden, Norway, Austria, the UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Antigua, Dominica, Guyana, Suriname, the US, China, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Jamaica. UNIDO, the OAS, CDB, Enerplan (now Verde Siempre), and PHILEC facilitated these observations. Haitian linesmen were every bit up to par with the best I observed and were accustomed to restoring their hardened systems after many frequent natural disasters.

That relatively vast pool of experienced electricians and high-voltage transmission linesmen is available within half an hour’s flight or a morning’s boat ride from our shores. We need cost-effective skilled labour, which is sitting in chagrin right next door in the land that boasts over 62 per cent of CARICOM citizens.

Do we have a foreign minister and ministry to guide us in crafting technical assistance from abroad for these difficult times? This situation has led me to question our foreign and security ministries’ policies. Have we inadvertently isolated ourselves from potential aid due to misguided concerns or prejudices? Are we missing opportunities for regional cooperation that could benefit all parties involved? Are there not carpenters, masons, plumbers, and transmission/distribution linesmen and electrical engineers experienced in immediate post-disaster works aplenty in Haiti to help us get back on our feet promptly?

The Met Office and the physicists at Mona keep stressing that Beryl is just the first of her kind this season. Things seem likely to get worse this hurricane season.