we experienced overnight Monday and yesterday was really not much worse than a long winter gale. Thankfully there have been no injuries to Bermudians and little physical damage to people's homes. The major victim appears to have been the Independence referendum. However there is a warning contained in Hurricane Felix.

Weather patterns have changed and hurricanes are back on the agenda for this part of the world. Felix teaches us that Bermuda needs to be better equipped and better prepared. Felix was a Category One hurricane and we did not have a direct hit as we did in Hurricane Emily. Emily was moving fast and was over quite quickly. Felix lasted through the night. What shape would Bermuda be in this morning had Felix had been a category three or four hurricane which lasted through a night? What shape would we be in if that hurricane made a direct hit? Very occasional emergencies are difficult to prepare for but there are things we can do. As an example, what would we do for roof slate if a large number of houses suffered roof damage? First, we need to take a careful look at the bridges and at The Causeway. We need to be sure that they are all strong enough to withstand a hurricane and that they are well maintained. It seems to us that The Causeway was constructed for horse and buggy travel and has now been subjected to heavy motor traffic and heavy loads for some 50 years. It is remarkable that, aside from its guard walls, The Causeway has survived a heavy surge and hours of pounding by the sea.

St. George's and St. David's were cut off, if only for hours, but might have been isolated for a long period if the road bed had been damaged. Given the need for ambulance services and the fact that the Airport is over The Causeway we should be looking at solutions. An immediate step is to determine if the basic structure is damaged and to strengthen the present Causeway and its guard walls.

The Bermuda Electric Light Company must be held accountable for the large number of people without power because of this storm, at one point two-thirds of Bermuda's homes. This is a sophisticated Country and widespread power outages are not acceptable in 1995. We recognise that Belco has put some wires underground and has replaced a large number of poles since Emily. However, it is not enough. There will be excuses about the need for people to cut their trees but perhaps that is not a realistic expectation. Bermuda should be wired under ground by now. We should not have to assume that if it blows we will be without power. Since Emily, Bermudians have watched Belco make good profits and we have seen the purchase of Bermuda Gas and it is time now to serve the customers, the entire Bermuda public.

On the other hand, the Bermuda Telephone Company seems to have had very little trouble. It is easy to remember the days when the telephone was the first thing to go in any blow. Despite being in the dark, it was really comforting and very helpful to be able to telephone other people during Felix. Bermuda can be thankful for a company as professional as Telco.

We certainly need to be better at making decisions about hurricane preparedness than we have been about why, how and when to delay the referendum.