Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
The adverse weather conditions particularly Friday into Saturday and their consequences again caught many off-guard, as especially the flooding was more intense and widespread than might have been expected. This kind of "unpleasant surprise" scenario tends to lead to the usual "blame game" mainly regarding late warnings and action by the relevant authorities.
It's important to point out that Friday's 6:00am forecast by the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten already had mentioned scattered showers, some of which could be heavy, advising residents and motorists in flood-prone areas to be vigilant. As the recent passing of Hurricane Gonzalo only recently gave a clear indication of vulnerable spots, people who were impacted then certainly had enough reason to be concerned and prepare as best possible now.
Moreover, a heavy rainfall advisory and flood warning were issued at 6:00pm Friday along with a forecast that spoke of "scattered to numerous" showers and added that the ground was already saturated. Nevertheless, the precipitation that fell during the early morning hours perhaps was beyond anyone's expectations, including the experts.
It is true that the Fresh Pond emergency outlet into Great Bay wasn't opened until many roads and homes were already partly under water, while the pumping capacity from Great Salt Pond into Rolandus Canal and out to sea proved insufficient. The fact that the worst of the storm hit at the end of a workweek in the middle of the night no doubt played a role as well.
The decision to impose a curfew Saturday at noon when the rain actually had died down considerably also was questioned and not immediately obeyed by everyone. The latter is understandable though, because if such a step is announced at the same time it's supposed to go into force people still need time to comply.
One must take into account that the whole idea was to empty the streets so that emergency services could get to persons in need and clear up the worst rubble endangering traffic. It was thus an order-keeping as much as a safety measure.
All that doesn't mean one shouldn't be critical and caretaker Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure Maurice Lake (see related article) rightfully believes there is room for improvement. While few runoff systems in the world probably would prevent flash-flooding in such a sustained downpour, controlling the level of Fresh and Great Salt Ponds remains an area of attention.
Publisher's Note:
Due to the bad weather Saturday and its effect on the distribution of newspapers, the WEEKender St. Martin/St. Maarten Day Special also appears in today's edition as a service to our readers and clients.
