Comrades! The Guardian Talk Radio's Carlton Smith, returned live-to air this morning - only to quickly criticize ZNS for its missing in Hurricane Irma coverage action whilst ZNS TV aired movies? I'm a guessing he didn't like listening to the 'non-stop music' Guardian Talk Radio was playing during da hurricane? { You just can't makeup airing this kinds Guardian Talk Radio station's lack of hurricane coverage responsibility}. Let's just say at least ZNS, gave the population some Hurricane Irma news coverage. The Guardian's talkie show hosts, were all staying dry - whilst on Hurricane Irma evacuation leave.

Sophisticated algorithms run on super computers for the world's largest property and casualty insurers have determined, based on historical information as adjusted for the effects of global warming trends, that there is a 37% probability Nassau will take a direct hit from a catastrophic CAT 4 or 5 hurricane within the next decade. Moody's and S&P are now considering the use of such information in the models they use to forecast the creditworthiness outlook of sovereign nation debt.

Well Muddo take sic., you have raised a very important issue. The rating agencies will downgrade the Bahamas based on the probability of an Irma style strike in the next 5 to 10 years and our lack of insurance reserves or our ability to borrow for a major recovery effort.

I realize the FNM is working feverishly on hurricane relief to our hard-hit islands and we, as Bahamians, will all do what we can to help. However, I do believe the Bahamas government lacks the capacity to progress sound and progressive economic plans in parallel with hurricane recovery efforts. No offence to the FNM as the PLP lacked this ability as well.

Time is limited for the Bahamas’ financial system. If the FNM doesn’t start to think outside the box and if a hurricane like Imra hits the entire Bahamian island chain, the ability of the Bahamas to recover would be questionable at best and nonexistent at worst, as we have little capacity to borrow or resources.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix or any series of knee jerk actions to solve these issues. Continuation of old and tired PLP/FNM policies and historical Bahamian economic fixes (such as massive single foreign investments such as Baha Mar and Atlantis) will not work going forward as this economic model is dead. Albeit the government doesn’t realize it. One good hurricane and Baha Mar will not reopen. It doesn’t even have an owner (other than the bank)!

We need rapid economic and structural liberalization, Bahamian privatization, southern island consolidation and most importantly the utilization of a massive amount of Bahamian and foreign brain power and intellectual capacity that has been left on the sidelines by the FNM and PLP for decades. Our brightest have left the country years ago. They have been replaced by ignorant politicians pontificating in the Guardian and Tribune day and night without a wooden penny to back it up.

Our problems range from the very large by decades of mismanagement of our energy plant and grid by BEC (which continues to this very day) all the way down to very small issues plaguing our youth like an underprivileged college student wiring $1,000 to her school and the bank charging her $150 in fees (most of which is bank profit and government taxes). The charge should be no more than $3.

Is anyone in power listening? I doubt it, let see how the hurricane season goes next year. Until then “it’s the peoples time”.

It seems from the scientific pundits that escalation of hurricanes will be the new normal. In lieu continuing the same path of building rectangular homes – instead we ought to build geodesic dome dwellings. They are the best protection from hurricanes – there are no better structures against hurricanes than domes - they also have other costs benefits for cooling and heating. The Bahamas is in the hurricane belt and we cannot change the courses of hurricanes – nor can we move the Bahamas out of harms’ way. What we can do is change the way we build our homes! Further ‘ our planners and authorities need to realize this and start the ball rolling to educate ‘ fund ‘ encourage and institute in the minds of Bahamians the change for building homes. Every household need to be almost individually independent of the grid; by having our own dome ‘ solar/wind/tidal power and water access – either a cistern (water tank) and or ground water or reverse osmosis. Our country is spread out with many islands and Cays. By having those platforms /disciplines (curriculum in schools ‘ research ‘ industry development ‘ bank/government financing ‘ legislation etc.) our people can survive a flourish. But it can only be achieved when our authorities (politicians etc.) comprehend the sense of it - and enact proper directives to accomplish it for the people. It will take time determination ‘ hard work ‘ financing – but most of all a mindset to change the way we live in these many islands and Cays.

Well said VDSheep.

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