By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The absence of reliable communications was one of the major challenges exposed by Hurricane Joaquin, Rotary’s distrct governor said yesterday, stressing the need for a co-ordinated, reliable connnection.

Felix Stubbs, who was speaking on a panel on lessons learned by first responders from Hurricane Joaquin, said: “One of the biggest challenges we had was reliable communication. I was getting reports that the entire Bahamas was being destroyed.

“ I was getting reports that up to 33 people had died. Not only was I getting this information, but it was being picked up by news reporters in Jamaica and elsewhere. There was a lot of confusion early on.”

He added: “I think we need to have a co-ordinated communications channel where we can get reliable information. That will not only help locals to address disasters, but also when we get support from international agencies.”

Mr Stubbs said Hurricane Joaquin also underscored the need for greater co-ordination. “When you have multiple organisations trying to do the same thing, it can sometimes lead to confusion, but it also means that you don’t maximise the limited resources we have,” he added.

We need to have a central co-ordinated unit to help us focus on disasters. We can’t wait until we get into crisis mode to get into that type of thinking.”

Mr Stubbs’s comments were echoed by Richard McCombe, assistant vice-president of operations at Arawak Port Development (APD) Company.

“A lot of people want to do a lot of good things. There needs to be a consolidation of resources because individually they can do better than we can do ourselves, but in order for them not to be in conflict with the bigger picture, there needs to be structure for everyone to do what they are best at, which focuses on the bigger group,” Mr McCombe said.

“That’s difficult because in a situation like Joaquin there are a number of stages that change quickly, and as it goes from immediate response to other things, everything changes.

“Transportation changes, the assessment changes, the needs change and that’s where we need to have a group that communicates effectively and has an overall plan in order to successfully accomplish all of those things. You want a plan and integration of resources, and the communication to be able to execute.”

Trevor Carey, operations manager of Ro-Ro Company, said that when relief supplies were shipped to the Family Islands, there were often no individuals taking responsibility for ownership of the cargo.

“There was a fall off when I got to the islands. There were no individuals who were responsible for taking ownership of the cargo. There was an issue there,” Mr Carey said. “I felt as though we did not have real time information on what was going on.”