The storm that never came

At 6 am on June 27, the Met Office released an official announcement on its website of the active tropical wave it had been monitoring, saying it was strong, with the potential for cyclone development in coming days. Heavy showers, thunderstorms, landslides, rough seas and high winds in excess of 70 km/h were predicted.

In light of impending danger, Trinis (at least those who are quick on the draw in this specific area of expertise) swung into action, creating memes and jokes about hurricanes.

One meme (whether old or new) circulating on social media featured two columns identifying what “The World” and “Trinidad” do in preparation for approaching severe weather systems.

Column A (The World): Watch weather channel, pack evacuation kit, buy batteries, buy canned foods, buy water, secure belongings.

Column B (Trinidad): Watch Seigonie, buy bread, buy batteries, pick up rum, buy chicken, complain about hurricane, speculate with neighbours if Monday is work, complain some more, make ah cook, buy more rum, plan hurricane party, God is a Trini.

This meme captures quite accurately the general "Trini" attitude to disaster preparedness – or to anything, for that matter, be it storm, coup, pandemic, earthquake or other serious, potentially life-threatening event.

“Eyyyyyy! Whey we liming?”...“Who house we going fuh de cook up?”...“It have enough ice?”

Accepted and perpetuated as a joke and often promoted in tourism literature as a part of the nation’s "fun-loving culture," the party-till-we-dead approach embraced by many Trinis may sometimes help to lighten the load of heavy concerns related to unstoppable acts of God, but at some point in time, even the most party-hearty Trini must realise there is a place for taking life’s bigger events seriously.

The Met Office, tracking the progress of the weather system, urged members of the public to pay attention to the higher-than-usual proliferation of updates from official sources – press conferences and how-to-be-prepared information bulletins.

I, and of course other animal rescuers throughout the nation, had the animals to consider – not just our own, but homeless ones, on the streets. It is vital, in times of disaster, that our official sources also include animal-safety preparedness in their bulletins.

At one point my sister called me to say “You’re going to like this – some radio announcers were just telling the public to look after their dogs, to bring them indoors, make sure they are safe from the storm.”

I (and I am sure others of like mind) contacted some media sources with various tips re animal safety. For example – make sure that dogs are not chained or locked in kennels. In the event of flooding, if not taken indoors, they must be free to run to safer ground or to find shelter.

In light of possible disaster, the safety of all sentient beings (human and animal) must be taken into consideration – when it comes to both prevention/security and cure/aftercare/rescue.

These are discussions that we must have throughout the year and not just when an approaching storm is predicted. "Be Prepared" – as the Scouts would say.

Despite having a sense that the storm would not have devastating effects, I took basic safety precautions of my own. I brought home three of our homeless rescue dogs to ensure they had a safe haven, I filled up the multitude of Blue Waters one-gallon bottles that I normally use for collecting spring water, I went to the grocery (forgetting there would be crowds, packed-to-overflowing shopping carts and long lines to navigate) to gather a few basic items, I ensured that my phone was charged, I parked my vehicle somewhere that seemed out of the path of potentially flying debris.

On the night of “the storm” I went to sleep early, as "later" would mean being up to comfort the dogs during thunder. At 11 I woke to the sound of chirping frogs, crickets, night birds. No wind, no rain. Complete silence. Cool air. Peace.

On my phone, a meme from a friend showed a TT ID card with Jesus Christ’s photo and signature. I chuckled. No words needed, for those who know the relevant TT philosophy.

While some are complaining and criticising the Met Office for not being accurate, please understand that humans and technology have no control or dominion over nature. Be thankful that we were spared – and be prepared for the next time.