This letter was pubished  today 12th in The Herald (the leading
broad-sheet in Scotland.)



WE should all reflect with deep sympathy on the tragic circumstances
imposed on the people of the Caribbean in the wake of Hurricane Irma
and seek ways to contribute to disaster relief (“Florida remains in
eye of storm as Irma heads north along peninsula”, The Herald,
September 11).

In the Caribbean deadly and destructive hurricanes are almost an
annual phenomenon at this time of year.

Yet despite major improvements in forecasting, disaster management and
higher levels of construction standards, we are still witnessing
tragic outcomes.


The Caribbean regional organisation Caricom has
established the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)
with disaster resilience, training and shared resource management as
some of its goals. The UK has substantial interests in the Caribbean,
both current and historical.

Many thousands of British tourist enjoy the Caribbean. No doubt this
Conservative Government in particular will have taken notice of the
massive damage to the British Virgin Islands where many billions of
pounds in British offshore funds are harboured.

But it is the horrendous human tragedy that should drive British concerns.

The UK Government should have substantial stored emergency equipment
and supplies within the region. The Department for International
Development should have a strategic relationship with CDEMA offering
regular funding, training and resources. What I have known is support
for CDEMA from Canada, Japan and the EU: what is the UK contribution?

But there is more. When we see the horrific images of massive
infrastructure damage the viewer would have noticed that total
destruction (“like a bomb”, said one correspondent) is found in the
board and zinc sheet housing while the concrete and steel bar or steel
frame buildings remain standing.

As one who spent more than 30 years across the Caribbean I can assert
that the insecure wooden dwellings, shops and churches belong to poor
black people and that the wealthy (and virtually all of the white
population) will dwell in the more secure concrete block structures.
This is a social disaster created not by hurricanes but by history,
with Britain and its empire making that history in the Caribbean. Yes,
there were, indeed are, others complicit in this tragic history but in
the context of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, and Turks and
Caicos, Britain has direct responsibility while, with Antigua,
Barbuda, and the Bahamas, Britain has historical responsibilities.

In The Herald on an earlier occasion I raised the issue of Caricom’s
demand for talks on slavery reparations. Surely a well-funded
Caribbean hurricane disaster management and relief organization would
be a first step for the British Government and indeed its EU
counterparts (while they still exist.)

Thom Cross, Carluke
- Show quoted text -

On 12/09/2017, CECILY JONES <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi there,Thanks for posting. Heartened to see some very robust discussions
> on this on Facebook and other social media.
> Just a reminder that to avoid downloading directly from the journal website
> or elsewhere that might potentially send the writer's citations index into
> the stratosphere...and part of me thinks this might have been the
> intention..Best wishes CecilyCecily Jones (Dr.)
>
>     On Tuesday, September 12, 2017 4:13 PM, Patricia Noxolo
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>
>  Dear colleagues,
>
> This list might find this discussion interesting.
>
> All the best,
> Pat
>
>
> Dr Patricia Noxolo,
>
> School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences,
>
> University of Birmingham,
>
> Edgbaston,
>
> Birmingham
>
> B15 2TT
>
> UK
>
> ________________________________
> From: A forum for critical and radical geographers
> [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Michael Richardson
> [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 12 September 2017 15:59
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: "The case for colonialism"
>
>
> Thanks Simone for starting this thread, and specific thanks to Joaquin for
> noting the timely nature of this crit-geog discussion given some of the
> controversy surrounding state responses to Hurricane Imra's devastation of
> the Caribbean.
>
>
> An excellent piece posted yesterday in The Conversion, by fellow geographers
> Alasdair Pinkerton and Matthew Benwell on Hurricane Imra and British
> Overseas Territories in an era of #GlobalBritain, should add interest to
> ongoing discussions.
> https://theconversation.com/hurricane-irmas-devastation-of-caribbean-territories-piles-pressure-on-strained-relationship-with-uk-83833
>
>
> Best wishes, Michael
>
>
>
>
> Dr Michael J Richardson
>
> Lecturer of Human Geography
>
> Director of ESRC NINE DTP Pathway 'Children, Youth & Families'
>
> School of Geography, Politics and Sociology
>
> Newcastle University
>
> http://www.ncl.ac.uk/gps/staff/profile/michael.richardson#tab_profile
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: A forum for critical and radical geographers
> <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Joaquín Villanueva
> <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: 12 September 2017 15:02:41
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: "The case for colonialism"
>
> Thank you for starting this conversation Simone. I think the timing of the
> article is particularly relevant. As we speak thousands of Caribbean
> residents are facing a sort of break down of their societies after the
> passing of Hurricane Irma. From the British Virgin Islands, San Martin/San
> Marteen, and Antigua and Barbuda, we are witnessing a humanitarian crisis of
> massive proportions precipitated by a natural hazard but whose roots lie in
> the history of colonialism. In fact, the response from the Dutch, British
> and French metroples has been very poor, which begs the question: Is there
> really a case for colonialism?
>
> Joaquin
>
> On Tue, Sep 12, 2017 at 8:27 AM, simone tulumello
> <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
> Hi Critters,
> just to let y'all know that while we discuss on post-colonialisms and
> de-colonialisms, people out there make the case for colonialism, in a
> journal titled Third World.
> I ain't sure whether to laugh or cry...
> http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01436597.2017.1369037?journalCode=ctwq20
>
> Solidarity,
> Simone
>
>
>
> --
> Joaquín Villanueva
> Assistant Professor
> Geography Department
> Gustavus Adolphus College
> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>