The 2008 hurricane season started on the 1st June as it does every year. This was no surprise. This was known to all Belizeans. The government led by Dean Barrow was aware of this like all of us – we think. But Barrow and his Government are responsible for the welfare of the people everyday and more so during the hurricane season.

When was the last time that a Belizean died in a tropical storm? Never. Yes, Belizeans died in hurricane Hattie in 1961. Yes, Belizeans died in hurricane Iris when the foolish captain of the Wave Dancer refused to pay heed to sound advice and kept people on board his vessel in the face of a gathering hurricane. But never before in the history of modern Belize have Belizeans died in a tropical storm. This ignominious distinction now falls to Dean Barrow and Melvin Hulse.

Amidst this national disaster a single fact stubbornly stands – the rank incompetence and negligence of the UDP Government. The National Weather Service warned from Friday that the storm was approaching. The Weather Service warned of heavy rains for days to come. The Weather Service predicted flash flooding. For the UDP to place blame on the National Weather Service is wrong. It is cowardly. No, the National Weather Service has no responsibility for disaster management. That is the duty of Barrow and Hulse.

Remarkably, the fact is that the first NEMO advisory was issued after the flood had crested, after people had died, after homes were lost, after crops were washed away, bridges unmoored, after roads had caved in. In fact, NEMO’S advisory came after the Prime Minister had slept the night away comfortably in Belize City! A visit to www.nemo.org.bz, NEMO’s official website tells the tale. Its first warning is at 6:00am on Monday morning, after the worst had passed. How can this be, Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Minister of NEMO? What reasonable explanation do you have for this?

Belizeans want to know who is accountable for this death, damage and destruction. Why were people not advised by NEMO to evacuate their homes? Why were people not roused from their sleep and warned of the sudden and unfolding danger? Why was there no emergency declaration early Sunday evening? Why did NEMO not meet on Saturday or even on Sunday when it was obvious to even the blind that a dangerous situation was brewing? It is because Barrow and his Cabinet were asleep!

And what have we had in response - press conference after press conference. People are begging for food, asking for clothes, requesting shelter and the response of the Government is to call press conferences to posture. This is the sign of incompetence and negligence. It is the sign of a Government incapable of managing a relatively weak tropical storm. Is it a sign of things to come?

We face six months of the hurricane season and we know today that the Government will be unable to adequately respond to a major disaster. Hulse’s resignation is not the answer. If people are to have some confidence in our ability to cope with a future disaster, a serious inquiry is needed. Legitimate questions abound. When did the National Weather Service first inform NEMO of the offing storm? What did the Weather Service predict and advise NEMO? What did the officials at NEMO do with this information? Did they recommend a meeting of NEMO under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister? Mr. Frutos says he advised the Cabinet Secretary. Did he alert PM Barrow and Minister Hulse? Did they drop the ball? When it became clear on Sunday night that the worse was upon us what emergency steps were taken, if any? The Government owes us an explanation. Above all, they owe an explanation to those who lost their precious loved ones, to those who are now homeless, those who are hungry and wet. They need to restore our confidence in the capacity of NEMO to respond in a timely and competent manner to future storms and hurricanes. We need an assurance that in terms of our capacity to prepare and respond, the worse of this Hurricane season is behind us. We wait and we pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe.