Thursday, August 23, 2007

the roof over our heads

With the onslaught of Hurricane ---, we have received calls & emails about how we're doing & whether we're alright. Many assume that any hurricane targeting the Caribbean is also affecting us. Not necessarily. Thankfully we're way up north & out of the danger zone. But in watching the news & reading the articles about how houses & people in Jamaica were severely affected, in particular, how tin corrugated roofs were blown off houses has left me a little appalled. Shouldn't all hurricane prone areas have fortified roofs? Ones that are seriously attached & not made of corrugated tin, but rather of cement or something equally hardier. The most damage that hurricanes inflict here on Bermuda homes are minimal, on segments of roofs. Rarely does an entire roof cave in or get blown off & if it does, then it's an attribution to shoddy workmanship or a compromise of quality. Of course, Jamaica is not the affluent island that Bermuda is, but shouldn't the Jamaican government be stepping in somewhat to ensure that all it's residents are habituating in stable homes?

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