Some readers are still a bit flabbergasted over government’s request to “stop whatever they are doing” Thursday from 9:06 to 9:08am and reflect on the first anniversary of Hurricane Irma, which devasted the island a year ago. After all, certain jobs or activities simply because of their nature cannot just be “put on hold” even for seconds without possible negative consequences.
In addition, as a destination that lives off tourism, the question is whether one should really stop giving service altogether for two minutes to both residents and visitors. Of course, they can be offered an explanation and apologies with a request for understanding and a bit of patience, but there is always the chance of antagonising customers or, at the very least, losing a sale.
Considering the local multi-cultural and diverse society, one way to prevent too much confusion would be publishing the relevant information also in Spanish, French and Creole. Especially the call to stop driving could be risky if too many other motorists don’t really know what’s going on.
Apparently, this practice is not uncommon on momentous occasions in Europe, including the Netherlands and, for example, in Israel to observe Yom Kippur. That may be the case, but it is certainly not normal locally and the usually already quite chaotic traffic situation due primarily to relatively narrow roads and lack of proper sidewalks might be a complicating factor, so everyone should be extra careful.
It nevertheless regards a worthwhile initiative that persons are urged to participate in and support, because September 6, 2017, was undoubtedly a life-changing experience for much of the population. The people can rightly be proud of how the country has recovered and it’s a good idea to take a moment to think about all that happened on and since that fateful day, September 6, 2017, to let it sink in.
