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The killer storm Gustav wreaked havoc in sections of the island leaving many dislocated, homeless and even dead. According to newspaper reports, many residents living in gullies and river banks such as Sandy Gully and Hope River in St Andrew, watched their homes being washed away by heavy flood waters.

But with all this devastation, was Gustav simply kind to some of us or was it just a matter of preparation that spared us from the onslaught of this tropical storm?

Up Park Camp base was buzzing with activities on Thursday [28 Aug 08] as the Jamaica Defence Force made preparations for the imminent storm. Key areas were battened down and assets secured as soon as it was certain that Tropical Storm Gustav was headed directly for Jamaica. 

The JDF Air Wing and 1Engineer Regiment (1Engr Regt (JDF)) are the two most crucial units during an emergency, not only internally but for the country at large. From time to time air support and engineer assets are deployed to assist citizens whether for search and rescue, medical evacuations, vehicle recovery or rebuilding of roads and bridges.

Civil/Military Co-operation spoke with members of JDF right after the storm to find out what they thought about its preparations. There were mixed responses as some felt that adequate preparations were made while others say more could have been done.

Head of 5 Maintenance Squadron, Major Clive R Brown, said that “we were about 80% prepared based on our requirements and the hurricane stores we actually received.”

According to Staff Sergeant Gerald Baker, Regimental Quartermaster at Air Wing, the hurricane stores were not issued as per the Hurricane Instructions. “Things that should have been done in Amber Phase 1 were not done until the second phase.” He said that items such as candles, matches, ply boards, battens, etc., were delayed.

However, other Sub-Units at Air Wing said that things were in place in a timely manner. “We at the Air Wing were prepared; from we heard that Gustav was coming we started to secure the aircraft in the hangers. There were standby crews ready to respond to rescue missions,” said
Sergeant Romeo Hemmings, of Support Flight.

While some units boast of their preparedness, Staff Sergeant Morales Yates at 1Engr Regt (JDF) said that there are still some persons who have a frame of mind that a storm or hurricane will not hit us, because they have most times turn course away from Jamaica, and so they wait until the ninth hour before they start making all the necessary preparations

Lieutenant Robert Bruce of 5 Maintenance Squadron said that resources will never be adequate but “the requisite things were in place to mobilize and respond to any major disaster. Crucial areas such as HQ JDF, messes and living quarters were battened down. Generators were put in place in the event of power outage and water was also reserved.”

Soldiers of 4 Support Squadron believed that words cannot explain the work that 1 Engr Regt (JDF) did before, during and after the storm.

There was no great damage to the JDF facilities. Among the reported incidents/problems were leaking roofs and windows and downed electrical wires. During the storm the engineers had to respond to an electrical wire that caught fire at the Jamaica Officers’ Club. However, that was
repaired immediately.

When asked if JDF would survive the destruction of a hurricane if Gustav had developed hurricane strength, Major Brown pointed out that JDF had withstood hurricanes such as Gilbert with much less resources than it has today. “We are always ready, willing and able to meet any
challenge.”

As the country tries to recover from the devastation, the Jamaica Defence Force is assisting the National Works Agency in building a Bailey bridge at Harbour View to reconnect eastern Jamaica with the corporate area. The Hope River Bridge in Harbour View collapsed under the pressure of flood waters and winds during the passing of Tropical Storm Gustav.