----- Original Message -----
From: <smallislandsvoice@...>
To: <notify@...>
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 8:55 PM
Subject: [SIV Global:] Communities reducing island vulnerability


> SMALL ISLANDS VOICE
>
> Do you live in a small island?
> Tell us what you think.
>
>
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>
> 'On Grand Bahama Island (The Bahamas, Caribbean) there is no community
> visioning used. We would like it if there was' writes Gail Woon. While we
were
> hardest hit by Hurricane Frances in September 2004 we were fortunate in
that
> despite all of the damage we had only one death on our island. We were
without
> power for six weeks. Water was turned on within a week. Many businesses
are
> still trying to reopen. Development is promoted on our island. We are
called
> the industrial capital of The Bahamas. There has been unprecedented
expansion
> at our harbour, making it one of the largest container ports in the world.
But
> the development has changed the coastline in such a way that when a
hurricane
> hits us - it really hits us. Now our airport floods as well as surrounding
> communities. The last two hurricanes, Frances and Jeanne (in 2004) caused
> flooding on our island on the north shore and the south shore. I am still
> 'displaced', a term for those made homeless by the two hurricanes. I am
moving
> as far inland as possible in April after my experience of having my house
> flooded three times (including Hurricane Floyd in 1999). This hurricane
> flooding only started happening after the industries at the harbour put
> dredged material into a natural waterway, the Hawksbill Creek, and into
the
> blue holes or cave systems that run throughout our limestone underground
rock.
> We would be very happy if our leaders would include us in community
visioning,
> but I fear that they are in a state of denial. Read more about this in
'Why
> the whole island floods now', an article published in the Nassau Guardian
and
> The Tribune.
http://www.unesco.org/csi/smis/siv/Caribbean/bahart3-nassau.htm
> )
>
> Gail's voice is joined by several others in calling for community
> led-planning, especially in a post-tsunami world.
>
> Natural disasters are not confined to tropical islands. Laura Lee Howard
from
> Prince Edward Island, Canada (Atlantic Ocean) writes: Dear SIV Community:
Here
> on Prince Edward Island, off the east coast of Canada, we are concerned
too
> about the unique position of Island dwellers. This evening there is a
forum
> called 'Small Acts: Island Communities within a Globalizing World' to
discuss
> how we can contribute and create knowledge regarding the potential role
that
> islands can play in public and political areas. In January, we experienced
a
> serious tidal surge. This has happened with unusual frequency in recent
> years...but this time, the ice in the waters damaged many structures. For
> example, I work in a seasonal kayak adventure business on the North Shore.
The
> ice and water damaged the wharf, surged into the building, tearing and
> destroying parts of the building, and thousands of dollars worth of
equipment.
> This, combined with recent high insurance costs for 'Adventure Tourism
> businesses' may indeed mean the end to this business, which has provided a
> living for many in the past 10 years. Large scale disasters, and smaller
scale
> incidents like storm surges, are reminders of the challenges we face as
> islanders. When we can start with 'small acts' that respond to and reduce
our
> vulnerability, we will empower ourselves to gain more and more control
over
> our destiny.
>
> And finally from Susan Fields: Hello, I am a writer, living on the island
of
> Virgin Gorda, in the British Virgin Islands (Caribbean). Curiously, the
human
> condition is such that optimism often over-rides planning. We do not seem
to
> look for trouble or plan for it in many areas of life. The events, surely
of
> 9/11 and the recent tsunami's have brought a new recognition for our need
to
> anticipate danger. Here, on our island, next week, we have been invited by
the
> Valley Sound Lion's Club to hear a public lecture about tsunamis. This
kind of
> event seems to recognize the preliminary need for both discussion and
action
> from within the community.
>
> Title: Communities reducing island vulnerability
> Author: S. Fields, L. Howard, G. Woon
> Date: Tuesday, 8 March 2005
>
>
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