Dear Editor,
I read with utter amazement the letter from Lloyd B Smith in the Wednesday, October 5, 2016 edition of the Jamaica Observer.
I am wondering if this is the same gentleman who once sat in our House of Parliament; but I would rather believe it is not.
If it is, I would like to remind him that he is no longer in Parliament where it appears one is free to say anything without it attracting intelligent scrutiny.
For him to give to anyone who would call the Met Office’s workers “a pack of jokers” because they were predicting up to Saturday that the island was in the direct path of Hurricane Matthew, yet (thankfully) this did not happen, is so ridiculous and ludicrous.
I am not sure which television stations he was watching, but many of the millions who were watching other stations were convinced that Jamaica would suffer a serious natural disaster. Every reputable weather service, from Europe, North America and the Caribbean, were predicting the same thing, almost without exception.
Smith, using that logic, all of the people who work for the many meteorological services are also “a pack of jokers”.
May I remind Smith, and any others who think like him, that up to late last week the “non-jokers” and the other international meteorologists were saying that Matthew would not be a threat to the United States. As I write, at least two states have declared a state of emergency and are instructing thousands of people to evacuate their homes. Go figure.
I end by congratulating our Met Service and the Government of Jamaica for being so proactive and comprehensive in their communication. The fact that Matthew missed us is what we should be giving thanks for while we pray for and try to help our Caribbean brothers and sisters in Haiti.
Stephen Harrison
St Mary
stepharrison28@gmail.com
I read with utter amazement the letter from Lloyd B Smith in the Wednesday, October 5, 2016 edition of the Jamaica Observer.
I am wondering if this is the same gentleman who once sat in our House of Parliament; but I would rather believe it is not.
If it is, I would like to remind him that he is no longer in Parliament where it appears one is free to say anything without it attracting intelligent scrutiny.
For him to give to anyone who would call the Met Office’s workers “a pack of jokers” because they were predicting up to Saturday that the island was in the direct path of Hurricane Matthew, yet (thankfully) this did not happen, is so ridiculous and ludicrous.
I am not sure which television stations he was watching, but many of the millions who were watching other stations were convinced that Jamaica would suffer a serious natural disaster. Every reputable weather service, from Europe, North America and the Caribbean, were predicting the same thing, almost without exception.
Smith, using that logic, all of the people who work for the many meteorological services are also “a pack of jokers”.
May I remind Smith, and any others who think like him, that up to late last week the “non-jokers” and the other international meteorologists were saying that Matthew would not be a threat to the United States. As I write, at least two states have declared a state of emergency and are instructing thousands of people to evacuate their homes. Go figure.
I end by congratulating our Met Service and the Government of Jamaica for being so proactive and comprehensive in their communication. The fact that Matthew missed us is what we should be giving thanks for while we pray for and try to help our Caribbean brothers and sisters in Haiti.
Stephen Harrison
St Mary
stepharrison28@gmail.com