Coping with Climate Change Part 2: Jamaicans with Disabilities

“When everyone is on board, we can see that it works.”

So said one presenter at an important media training workshop hosted by Panos Caribbean in Kingston. She was referring to an early warning system for people with disabilities in three communities in and around Portmore, St. Catherine. The Panos workshop was funded by the Caribbean Disaster Risk Management Fund (through the Canadian International Development Agency) and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES).  The Jamaican government’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Combined Disabilities Association (CDA) played a crucial role in the seminar, which took place soon after Panos’ illuminating civil society dialogue on climate change. In all its programs, Panos also seeks to empower marginalized and neglected communities and to inform the media on this issue and others. The Portmore Self-Help organization, founded by the indefatigable Brigitte Johnson, is a key partner in the project; several members attended the workshop.

(l-r) Rian Gayle of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf; Brigitte Johnson of Portmore Self-Help; and Gloria Goffe of the Combined Disabilities Association at the Kingston workshop. (My photo)

So, let’s see what happens when everyone is on board. This was a very practical, down to earth workshop, focused on solutions. Those journalists who were absent missed an engaging and informative meeting. For me personally (a completely non-technical person) some of the details rather escaped me. But I am in awe of science and technology, and always wonder how our engineers and scientists do it!

Communication is key: our signing interpreter hard at work.

First of all, this project is the first of its kind in the Caribbean – it’s a trend-setter, which is always good. Did you know that according to United Nations estimates, about ten per cent of Jamaica’s population has a disability (280,000 Jamaicans?) For the disabled, communication is a major problem, and one of the reasons why this one-tenth of the population tends to be left out. This does not have to be, of course.

The ODPEM project is a pilot system, to alert the disabled community in Portmore regarding hurricanes and floods. Why Portmore? It is a vulnerable and highly-populated area, built on reclaimed swampland with a high water table. Phillippa Ricketts, representing the Portmore Municipal Council, noted that Portmore is the largest residential area in the English-speaking Caribbean, with a population of over 180,000 recorded in 2011. It comprises 32,400 acres – over fifty square miles. The challenges are considerable. The Council is concerned about various disaster scenarios, including chemical spills and fire caused by drought (it is extremely dry). And let’s not forget earthquakes: in that situation, because the land is dumped, a dangerous liquefaction of the earth will occur. It has some fairly major traffic congestion issues too, as many Portmore residents would confirm.  A 2011 vulnerability study showed that the disabled community and senior citizens are especially at risk. The Council is taking a proactive approach, building community capacity (albeit with limited resources). It is training Community Emergency Response Teams. It wants to do more large-scale simulations, focusing on evacuation and coordinated by an emergency operations center.

An aerial view of a part of Portmore, the largest residential area in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Clients of Portmore Self-Help, founded by Brigitte Levy who herself has a disability, participated in the workshop.

Ms. Ricketts lamented, “disaster preparedness and climate change are not sexy topics.” People don’t care – until something happens, of course. When the Council holds public awareness meetings, “people don’t turn up.” They continue to throw garbage in the drains, which fill up and cause flooding. The Council simply has to press on with getting the word out, visiting various groups, handing out brochures. It is now seeking to set up community volunteer groups, to engender a greater sense of civic pride in Portmore. That’s needed everywhere, by the way.

Brigitte Levy of Portmore Self-Help makes a point. To her left is Rian Gayle of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf.

Gloria Goffe, Executive Director of the CDA, explained that while people with disabilities are affected in the same way as those without disabilities by disasters, they are far more vulnerable. A noisy, chaotic environment can be very difficult for  the deaf, for example. The blind cannot react swiftly when the water truck sounds its horn, and may lose out when such assistance is available after a disaster. And the mentally disabled may not understand complicated media messages. The independence of disabled people is significantly reduced during a disaster, whether natural or manmade. In shelters they are especially at risk; sadly, there have been cases of the sexual abuse of people with disabilities in hurricane shelters by members of the public. If they have to leave their house, they become disoriented. Ms. Goffe urged media houses to make disability a part of their reporting and information; to advocate for Jamaicans with disabilities; and to provide support in practical ways by setting up media forums, partnering with non-governmental organizations. There is much more to be done!

Representatives of ODPEM, including the awesome Mr. Corniffe (center).

Rian Gayle, of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf, noted that many laws that could help people with disabilities are outdated. Hopefully Senator Floyd Morris, himself visually impaired, will advocate more on this. Gloria Goffe pointed out that the thirteenth (!) draft of a Disability Bill has not yet reached Parliament for debate.

Senator Floyd Morris.

Mr. Gayle pointed out that local television does not have closed captioning. Television seems to be a particular problem; Mr. Gayle noted that it no longer uses sign language interpreters. Another concern raised was that those with disabilities cannot access the 119 emergency number for the police, fire brigade etc. Mr. Gayle suggested that ODPEM and other agencies could send hurricane updates, flood warnings etc through text messages – a medium that deaf Jamaicans use extensively to communicate.

ODPEM’s Delmares White: The media has a vital role to play.

Delmares Whyte, ODPEM’s Director Information and Training, has a great deal of media experience; she stressed the important role the media can and must play. Jamaica has around twenty radio stations – not including community radio. She lamented that the media often likes to sensationalize at times of disaster – thus creating panic – instead of focusing on providing important information. ODPEM is concerned about the media reporting inaccurate and conflicting information. ODPEM produced a Caribbean Disaster Information Kit for media in 2004 (does it need updating?) But the government agency does face some practical difficulties in using the media to get its emergency messages out; it’s hard to break into a radio transmission that is playing music all night, for example. Surely something can be worked out; with the Media Association of Jamaica, perhaps?

Phillippa Ricketts (right) outlines the challenges of Portmore’s geography, its vulnerability…and solutions.

So how can journalists report on climate change and related issues such as disaster preparedness, and especially in relation to the disabled community? There are an almost infinite number of angles that they can take. Why, for example, is the 119 number not working for Jamaicans with disabilities? Journalists should do their research, too. There are so many online resources. They could also seek out local scientists and talk to them about the issues. There seems to be a bit of a disconnect here – a communication gap – but journalists must check their scientific facts and identify the key issues (not the trivia; not the sensational). Find out the differences between “climate” and “weather” (there are differences). What’s the political angle? What’s the international angle? Climate change has no borders, after all. Journalists can utilize all kinds of technology, like live streaming. And. And! Make much more use of social media. (I remain puzzled as to why so many Jamaican media houses are wary of social media, in general. Why?) 

Simone Absalom with a media colleague at the workshop, listening hard. (My photo)

The session ended with a fascinating and exciting demonstration by ODPEM’s Senior Telecommunications Engineer Ruel Corniffe. (And yes, he is now on my list of Awesome Scientists). Mr. Corniffe gave us a simulation of the Early Warning System for persons with disabilities. It is an FM-based, RDS alerting system (RDS stands for Radio Data System) in partnership with a Portmore-based radio station, Sun City Radio. It will broadcast any kind of alert – missing people, road closures, shelter information, severe weather forecasts. A tsunami warning can be broadcast via satellite. This pilot project is rolling out initially in Portmore and neighboring St. Andrew.

ODPEM’s Senior Telecommunications Engineer Ruel Corniffe explains the Early Warning System.

The service is free to any radio station that has the right technical specifications, as the FM radio towers exist. ODPEM does need some funding for the encoders, however. It also has a mobile app for android, iPhone, Facebook and Twitter.  All radio stations should go and buy the receivers (and maintain them).  Contracts have already been signed with television and radio stations for automatic interrupts. For more information, please contact ODPEM right away.

The home alarm device. It is actually incredibly simple for the customer, although I don’t understand how it all works.

And this all goes straight into your home! Strobe light, vibration and a very loud alert sound. It takes less than one minute to transmit. And it will certainly alert you, in no uncertain terms. Designated people with disabilities in Portmore will receive it so that they can inform the rest of the disabled community.

Simone Absalom (an enthusiastic young journalist who is always ready to learn) said she had not seen people with disabilities included in disaster bulletins, suggesting there was a particular challenge with getting messages out on television. Simone has worked for three television stations. She said much more communication needs to take place between media houses (including editors in the print media) and people with disabilities, to understand the issues and put measures in place. Much more could be done with social media, too, she suggested.

The workshop in session.

Bottom line: The media must take the initiative. Start mobilizing, creating messages, working out ways to get the message out in times of emergency. What more important role could the media play in the public interest? Get creative. Be proactive. This is all literally a matter of life and death. Let’s get ourselves prepared, as Portmore residents with disabilities are doing with the help of their partners.

And secondly (as with many solutions) – that key word “partners.” Working together is a must. It makes all the difference.

P.S. I wished that more media representatives had attended. When great efforts are made to provide useful information and good contacts for journalists that they can use in the future, the turnout is often poor. If it is not “hot news”… This is a perennial grouse of mine, but journalists say they are already stretched and that newsrooms don’t have the resources to spare them for half a day or so. This is a great pity and media houses suffer as a result; but there is always more focus on “hard news” than investigative journalism, so it does not surprise me that these opportunities are ignored.