It is certain that the government hasn't carried out their functions correctly in response to both pre and after emergency preparation, however is it not true that the people hold some responsibility also. After Hurricane Georges, and probably after David...etc the Government built houses away from the floodplains. People lived in them for a while, sold them, and moved back to the floodplains. The first time I was in Jarabacoa was 1997, just before Georges and I noticed how many people lived close to the river. The next time I was there was about 2 months after Georges and all those houses had been wiped out. The government, Leonels first term built a bunch of house away from the river, but 3 years later there were more house built close to the river. I grew up next to river that flooded on a regular basis and smart people don't build in floodplains. I'm sure the government warnings were inadequate and late, but personal responsibility for families seems to be missing here also.
|