Basil Jarrett | Monday’s earthquake: are we ready for the big one?

Monday’s 5.6 magnitude earthquake is certainly our newsmaker of the week, dominating headlines and WhatsApp viral videos for days now. Despite the seriousness of the situation, some of the social media reactions have been priceless.

Cliff Hughes astounded Nationwide listeners with the speed at which he got under his broadcast desk. While most people marvelled at Cliff’s speed and flexibility in ducking under his desk, I still can’t get past the fact that he was able to fit under it in the first place. But you know that old Jamaican adage, “When trouble take you, all pickney shut (or in this case, pickney desk) fit yuh.”

GET FLAT

Just joking, Cliff. I congratulate you on the presence of mind to get under your desk, and to demonstrate proper earthquake response techniques in the process. Kudos to you. In contrast, my initial reaction to the earthquake was a very annoyed, “Oh boy, here we go again. Just sit tight and in a few seconds it will pass”. But almost as quickly as the thought entered my mind, the intensity shifted from zero to “what-the-devil” in the blink of an eye.

Construction workers on a nearby high-rise building called for Jesus. Some called for their mothers. Others called for Jesus’ mother. I held on to my pants. This quake was going to be different.

Thankfully, the very intense shaking stopped almost as quickly as it started and we were spared what could certainly have been a catastrophe. A similar 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia last year killed more than 300 people and injured hundreds more, to say nothing of destroyed homes and buildings. At the time of this writing, there have been no reported deaths here, and except for a three-storey house in Portland which pancaked itself into a duplex, only minor physical damage was sustained.

EFFECTIVE BUILDING CODES

I know the folks issuing construction and building permits down at the KSAMC have been taking a lot of flak lately over the numerous high-rise buildings being approved, but this is one time that they must be given some credit. Clearly, our building codes appear to be strictly enforced, but more importantly, they seem to be working. Kudos, too, to our regulators, contractors and engineers for their compliance, and for the liberal use of steel in our buildings.

This issue of steel, building codes and solid construction processes reminds me of one of the darkest events in history: the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. At the time, I was barely a year into my JDF career and badly wanted to be a part of the deployment to the devastated country. I was on a training course in the frozen nether regions of Canada at the time, but would have gladly swapped climes to be part of the rescue mission. My army buddies who were fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to make the trek told me that it was an “unspeakable tragedy and an unforgettable experience”. Within days of arrival, the unmistakable stench of death and decay had begun to rise from the ruins, breaking the hearts of even our toughest soldiers.

One officer recounted, “The first thing that got you was the smell. Bodies were left out on the roads as there was no electricity, no morgues and no hospitals. You had to drive around them and in some cases some vehicles that could not get out of the way quickly enough, just drove over some of them.”

FOCUS ON THE MISSION

The first deployment of JDF soldiers included more than 100 engineers, medics and infantrymen. That initial deployment lasted just over five weeks under now-retired, Colonel Jaimie Ogilvie. He would later be replaced by current MOCA boss, Colonel Desmond Edwards.

“Many of the troops were traumatised,” Colonel Edwards would later admit, pointing out that counselling services had to be quickly put in place, especially for those in the initial deployment.”

JDF soldiers are some of the bravest, most resilient, most hard-as-nails individuals on this planet, but even they had to be rotated to give some reprieve from the daily dose of death, desperation and desolation. And it wasn’t just the soldiers who found the going rough. One of my high school friends who was a part of the civilian medical team told me months later that what broke him were the amputations. The hundreds of amputations. Especially those of children and otherwise healthy and able-bodied youngsters. “If I never have to do another amputation again, it would be too soon,” he said.

A TOUGH MISSION

The 2010 Haiti mission was, to my mind, the most difficult job that we ever gave our men to do. And we were only able to do it by relying on the kind of leadership that you only find in the military. I tip my hat to men like Colonel Ogilvie and Colonel Edwards who were given the incredible task of keeping the minds of the men focused on the mission, even as they themselves undoubtedly struggled with the toll on their own humanity. It’s called fixity of purpose, and when you master it, you are almost unstoppable.

In the end, the JDF’s accomplishments in Haiti were seismic. The small island Force delivered water, food, shelter, engineering services, medicines and medical care to over 10,000 Haitians as part of the CARICOM contingent and left an indelible mark on the country’s relief and response effort.

I chose this topic this week, not simply because of our near miss last Monday, but also because once the excitement dies down and Cliff comes out from under his desk, regular service will resume in Jamaica. In a few weeks, Monday’s earthquake will be another “where were you when” story and we will be caught up in the latest nine-day wonder to dominate the headlines. But that would be a mistake. Earthquakes are nature’s most devastating force. They happen violently and without warning, and at their worst, they can truly test mankind’s resolve. Let us not drop our guard. If you don’t have earthquake drills or an earthquake emergency plan in place, get one. If you know you’ve been skirting proper construction codes, stop and do the right thing now. And if you have no idea how to manage your communications during an earthquake or similar crisis, give me a call.

The last bit of advice I’ll leave you with is to head out early for church on Sunday. I strongly suspect that there will be a bumper crowd of construction workers in attendance this week.

Major Basil Jarrett is a Communications Strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram, Threads @IamBasilJarrett and linkedin.com/in/basiljarrett. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com