As if the socio-economic ravages of the coronavirus pandemic are not sufficient to retard the development of Caribbean countries years into the future, there are signs that a much more familiar malady, rampaging weather, is about to make yet another immediately impactful intervention in the region. With the worst of this season’s frequently devastating tropical storms believed to be still ahead, farmers in some countries in the region, including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) territory of Jamaica, are already engaged in the familiar pursuit of counting the costs of crop losses, the result of three tropical storms – Else, Grace and Ida – that have already made the customary seasonal visits. The bottom line? Less than halfway into the hurricane season the seriously vulnerable islands of the region are likely in for another torrid time.
