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Small Islands Voice Global Forum
Communities reducing island vulnerability
‘On Grand Bahama Island (The Bahamas, Caribbean) there is no community visioning used. We would like it if there was’ writes Gail Woon. While we were hardest hit by Hurricane Frances in September 2004 we were fortunate in that despite all of the damage we had only one death on our island. We were without power for six weeks. Water was turned on within a week. Many businesses are still trying to reopen. Development is promoted on our island. We are called the industrial capital of The Bahamas. There has been unprecedented expansion at our harbour, making it one of the largest container ports in the world. But the development has changed the coastline in such a way that when a hurricane hits us - it really hits us. Now our airport floods as well as surrounding communities. The last two hurricanes, Frances and Jeanne (in 2004) caused flooding on our island on the north shore and the south shore. I am still ‘displaced’, a term for those made homeless by the two hurricanes. I am moving as far inland as possible in April after my experience of having my house flooded three times (including Hurricane Floyd in 1999). This hurricane flooding only started happening after the industries at the harbour put dredged material into a natural waterway, the Hawksbill Creek, and into the blue holes or cave systems that run throughout our limestone underground rock. We would be very happy if our leaders would include us in community visioning, but I fear that they are in a state of denial. Read more about this in ‘Why the whole island floods now’, an article published in the Nassau Guardian and The Tribune. ( http://www.unesco.org/csi/smis/siv/Caribbean/bahart3-nassau.htm )
Gail’s voice is joined by several others in calling for community led-planning, especially in a post-tsunami world.
Natural disasters are not confined to tropical islands. Laura Lee Howard from Prince Edward Island, Canada (Atlantic Ocean) writes: Dear SIV Community: Here on Prince Edward Island, off the east coast of Canada, we are concerned too about the unique position of Island dwellers. This evening there is a forum called ‘Small Acts: Island Communities within a Globalizing World’ to discuss how we can contribute and create knowledge regarding the potential role that islands can play in public and political areas. In January, we experienced a serious tidal surge. This has happened with unusual frequency in recent years...but this time, the ice in the waters damaged many structures. For example, I work in a seasonal kayak adventure business on the North Shore. The ice and water damaged the wharf, surged into the building, tearing and destroying parts of the building, and thousands of dollars worth of equipment. This, combined with recent high insurance costs for ‘Adventure Tourism businesses’ may indeed mean the end to this business, which has provided a living for many in the past 10 years. Large scale disasters, and smaller scale incidents like storm surges, are reminders of the challenges we face as islanders. When we can start with ‘small acts’ that respond to and reduce our vulnerability, we will empower ourselves to gain more and more control over our destiny.
And finally from Susan Fields: Hello, I am a writer, living on the island of Virgin Gorda, in the British Virgin Islands (Caribbean). Curiously, the human condition is such that optimism often over-rides planning. We do not seem to look for trouble or plan for it in many areas of life. The events, surely of 9/11 and the recent tsunami's have brought a new recognition for our need to anticipate danger. Here, on our island, next week, we have been invited by the Valley Sound Lion's Club to hear a public lecture about tsunamis. This kind of event seems to recognize the preliminary need for both discussion and action from within the community.
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