Kristen Gyles | We survived the unsurvivable

One foreign news reporter described the hurricane as being ‘unsurvivable’. But here we are, almost three million strong, having survived one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record. No, not everyone survived the onslaught of heavy wind and rain and not every house made it through the ordeal. However, Jamaica and its people, as a collective, continue to stand strong, even in the aftermath of disaster.

Now that Hurricane Melissa is behind us (or above us), it’s time to think about how we will move forward. Some will be out of electricity and water for an extended period; Others no longer have homes. Some are lamenting foregone income; Others have no money after spending the last they had on hurricane supplies. Some have been injured; Others are dead. This merciless hurricane did not affect us all in the same way.

Nonetheless, we have all been affected in some way and regardless of the extent of the impact, we are all justified in feeling some amount of exhaustion, confusion, anxiety and/or disappointment.

This is important to keep in mind as we interact with each other in the coming days. Our responses coming out of the hurricane will vary, because our experiences were varied. However, we must try to understand each other and try to display some sensitivity to the nuances of the varied experiences. Furthermore, Jamaicans are not just a monolithic group of predictable people. We are all different and it is in times like these that our differences become more and more apparent.

For many Jamaicans, a devastating category 5 hurricane like Melissa is an ‘act of God’. This means it is God’s direct action that directs the hurricane towards the island and therefore God’s direct action that can direct it away. Accordingly, many Jamaicans approached the arrival of the hurricane with prayer and repentance. Many held the view that the hurricane was a consequence for the rampant crime and wickedness across the island.

ANXIETY

Others who don’t necessarily hold this view were worried, nonetheless. Some experienced extreme levels of anxiety wondering how they and their family members would fare out, especially after hearing some reporters pronounce doom and gloom on our little island. Some found it difficult to sleep and were consumed with getting the latest update at each step of the way.

But not everyone handles their anxiety in this way. In the days leading up to the hurricane, amidst the stress and tension of the impending disaster, which some news reporters suggested would wipe Jamaica off the map, some inner-city residents were partying in the rain. For the first, we saw a dance being named after a hurricane – the ‘Melissa Bounce’.

In a TikTok video which showed residents of one community gallivanting in the rain to loud music doing the ‘Melissa Bounce’, someone commented: “People all over the world praying for you all and this is what you guys do. Shameless.”

I wondered, is it really wrong to have fun in a moment of misfortune? Or is it just an unpopular coping mechanism? I mean, if Jamaica is about to get deleted from planet Earth, perhaps we should all enjoy our last moments, shouldn’t we?

The Melissa Bouncers were not the only ones trying to make light of a bad situation. One young man appeared in a video where he seemed to be in a fully flooded out home with water up to his shins. He said “Welcome to Jamaica, where you don’t have to come to the sea, the sea comes to you!”

Unfortunately, some will always take offence to any semblance of a joke in serious times, but this is how many people cope in bad situations. The extent to which we stress and distress ourselves over bad situations has absolutely no impact on our ability to change them.

SENSITIVITY

However, given that several communities have been flattened by the hurricane, it is understandable that sensitivity would be high. People will not necessarily take kindly to being told to “be grateful for life” or to “give thanks in all things” as a response to images of their destroyed homes and other property. People who are on the verge of homelessness will also not necessarily take kindly to those on the eastern end of the island complaining about seemingly frivolous things like the length of time it takes for their power to be restored. And, of course, people will not take kindly to tourists complaining about sub-standard hotel treatment during a category 5 hurricane.

Lastly, chronic scepticism can become exhausting for people who are constantly exposed to it. The truth is that whether you believe that the hurricane was made in a lab somewhere and sent on a ship to Jamaica, or you believe the hurricane occurred out of sheer chance, it does not change the fact that the hurricane has claimed lives, stolen property and ruined livelihoods. In the coming days it will be important to focus on moving forward together regardless of our nuanced perspectives.

For some, moving on means starting over, and that takes insurmountable strength. But heavy loads become lighter when we carry them together. The Jamaicans most badly affected by Hurricane Melissa will need help, both in cash and kind, to rebuild their lives and their communities. It’s in these times that we should pull together, more than ever before.

Kristen Gyles is a free-thinking public affairs opinionator. Send feedback to kristengyles@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com