Impacto de Irma--I

Impacto de Irma-I

Por José Bourget

Los turistas vienen a Las Terrenas por sus playas y por su oferta culinaria...en las playas, entre otras cosas. Irma nos ha dejado un desastre de enormes proporciones, con un impacto económico devastador.  Desde la Aldea de los Pescadores hasta Punta Popy todos los restaurantes han sido afectados o destruídos.  Con una rara excepción o dos, quizás, no habrá restaurante disponible este fin de semana (ojalá que sea diferente).  Todos los restaurantes en la playa entre el cementerio hasta Punta Popy están devastados, desaparecieron o se hundieron.

Aunque la idea no es popular entre los dueños de restaurantes, es una oportunidad de recuperar la playa y de transformar el modelo de negocios existente porque tales desastres seguirán ocurriendo, en mayor o menor medida.  ¿Por qué invertir para perderlo todo?  Miren lo que pasó con los dizque 60 millones invertidos por el Ministerio de Turismo para reconstruir la Aldea de los Pescadores.  Fue una de las peores decisiones en términos de medio ambiente y financiero, pero fue muy populista  justo antes de las elecciones de hace 5 años.  La Aldea, que ya se cae a pedazos, con lixiviados de los vertederos sobre las calzadas, los baños hechos un desastre y en clara necesidad de reparaciones y de una mejor gestión financiera (y menos conflictiva), sufrió enormemente, con casi todo el tablero peatonal en muy mal estado.  Ahí se van a tener que reinvertir millones para repararlo y para que los dueños de restaurantes no lo pierdan todo.  Igualmente, la decisión dura será si vale la pena seguir mejorando o construyendo un lugar condenado a ser consumido por el mar…y suerte que Irma no nos dio como se esperaba.  ¿Se imagina lo que hubiera pasado con la Aldea con un mar bajo la fuerza de vientos a 300 kms por hora?

El mar viene a reclamar lo que es y lo que no es suyo.  Tiempo de pensar y tiempo de tomar decisiones estratégicas aunque potencialmente impopulares. 

IRMA’S IMPACT—I

By José Bourget

Tourists come to Las Terrenas because of its beaches and culinary offer…by the beach, among other good reasons.  Irma has left behind a gargantuan disaster with a devastating economic impact.  From the Aldea de los Pescadores all the way to Punta Popy there’s not a single restaurant on the wáter that isn’t either destroyed or severely damaged.  Perhaps with one exception or two, this coming weekend there won’t be a culinary offer on the wáter (I seriously hope to be wrong).  The área between the cemetery and Punta Popy is particularly affected.

Although not popular among restaurant owners, this is the greatest opportunity to recuperate the beach front and to leave it as natural as possible, though it would imply a change in the business model for many of such businesses that took advantage of the lack of control and regulation (as well as corruption and impunity).  The reason is plain:  the sea will continue to invade the coast and destroy what’s built on the water.

Why invest to lose it all again?  Just look at the alleged 60 million pesos invested by the Ministry of Tourism in the rebuilding of the Aldea de los Pescadores after burning down even in spite of strong protestations against building it in the same place, but it was done months before the elections of 2010 and the rebuilt  was delivered a month before the actual elections.  It was a terrible decision for the environment and for the use of public funds, but who cared back then?  It was a populist decision that paid off.  Now, with the boardwalk severely damaged or destroyed, with some of the restaurants severely affected, with the degrading environment caused by lack of proper management and abandonment, wouldn’t it be a good time to rethink what would the best business model for the future of the Aldea, possibly icluding a new location?

Otherwise, millions would need to be reinvested so that owners and renters won’t lose it all and any move should consider the best support possible for restaurant owners that provide Las Terrenas with some of the best and most diverse culinary offer on the Atlantic coast.  The decision may be unpopular and difficult, but one must seriously consider the real natural world.  Storms like Irma will continue to hit us and sooner or later the Aldea will be washed away, which would have happened if the hurricane had stayed its original course and strength.  Can you imagine the waves that 180 mph winds would create?  We now have the remains and a lot of debris, instead of plain nothing. 

The sea is staking a claim on what belongs to her or wants to take.  It is time to think deep and hard, making strategic decisions that fit the needs for our future, not just the populist needs of politicians, or the purely financial ideas of business owners.