South St Elizabeth farmer Ms Marigold Nembhard says Hurricane Beryl, which devastated sections of Jamaica’s south coast close to three weeks ago, was far worse than Hurricane Gilbert (1988), Ivan (2004), and Dean (2007).

Beryl was worse than “all three of them put together”, Ms Nembhard claims.

Of course, Gilbert came ashore at Morant Point and came down the centre of Jamaica’s mostly mountainous interior.

People like Ms Nembhard, at Nembhard Town close to Junction on the south-eastern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains, probably find it difficult to relate to the horrors of Gilbert as experienced 36 years ago by those in the east and centre of the island.

For sure, Beryl followed a path very similar to Dean and slow-moving Ivan with devastating effect for those closest to the eye. We refer to people living close to, or on Jamaica’s south coast.

Intriguingly, Jamaica has had very few direct hits from hurricanes over a period of many decades. Charlie in 1951, Gilbert in ‘88 and Sandy (a relatively weak Category 1 storm which crossed south to north in east central Jamaica in 2012) come readily to mind.

And even those hurricanes which have sideswiped the island, especially to the north-east and south causing extensive damage — Beryl being the latest — have been many years apart.

Perhaps that distance in time between storm catastrophes has adversely affected the national determination to prepare as we should.

For even though Jamaicans know that the Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1, can we honestly say we are ever really prepared that early?

Available evidence suggests we were not adequately prepared for Beryl, which experts say was the strongest hurricane — at Category 4 — to hit the Caribbean this early in the season.

The microscope has to be focused on electricity provider, Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS).

For example, why has the response been so slow in restoring power to communities that, to the public eye, suffered no serious infrastructural damage other than a few broken utility poles?

Was (is) there a shortage of replacement material?

Was (is) there a serious manpower shortage?

If so, why?

And what’s to be done to ensure there is no repeat of this situation for JPS, which holds a monopoly on transmission/distribution of electricity?

Also, we know it’s expensive, but wouldn’t we have been better off, at this time, if power lines were underground, instead of being exposed to the wind on wooden posts — many much too old for comfort?

In agriculture, there is clear need to help open-field farmers better protect their crops from floods and strong winds, perhaps using drains and wind breaks. Such strategies are never fool-proof, but they do help.

Also, greenhouse and other forms of protected farming are always vulnerable to hurricanes and strong winds. How can such farming be better protected against the elements, and/or can preventive measures be taken to reduce damage on the approach of the storm?

In home construction, is there more that can be done to reduce roof damage? Our master builders and related experts need to say.

All these and much, much more should be in the mix as we begin the analysis/review of Hurricane Beryl and plot the way forward.