By Fr Martin Sirju Archdiocesan Finance Officer

Giles Edwards was a very competent presenter as he spoke on a topic due to assume even greater significance over the next ten years – construction and natural disasters: “Each one of the Caribbean islands is prone to many different types of natural disasters”, he said – hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding and volcanoes.

Churches, he said, were historically “well designed, engineered and constructed” which explains why many of them were designated “disaster shelters”. Edwards spoke like a typical parish priest when he said that the durability of church buildings depends on two factors: the number of reliable helpers (as opposed to the many critics) and lack of adequate financial resources. 

Since we are receiving less money from outside sources like the Vatican and Adveniat, it is necessary to find these helpers who will aid the Church in constructing sturdy buildings for the future and in preserving those that are already in existence.

This in turn means we must have construction materials of good quality. Here Edwards noted that while Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica have cement and Guyana and Suriname wood, by and large the Caribbean “is not blessed with much in the way of indigenous building material and many islands have to import everything that is used in construction.” The more we preserve our buildings the less we would have to spend on repairs.

So what is the secret of property repairs? – continuous maintenance! We save money and reduce inconvenience by making a habit of ongoing maintenance. It is no secret that many parish priests abhor maintenance work but there is a way out: appoint a property maintenance officer or small team to manage parish property or else we will be faced with astronomical costs, and the costs are rising each year.

Edwards said there are three areas that are not given sufficient attention in renovation/construction projects: adequate drainage of water away from property, under-specification regarding the foundation, and under-specification of roof framing and inadequate roof sheeting material, the latter being “more often compromised than any other component that goes into building”.

He said one only had to look at post-Ivan Grenada to discover the scant attention given to sound roofing. This was especially so in the case of the lovely RC Cathedral in St George’s that stood with walls intact but no roof after Ivan the Terrible raged through the island.

The following recommendations ought to be borne in mind: roofs should cover the building with generous eaves; steel is generally better than wood in areas prone to hurricanes; concrete blocks are better than clay blocks.

Regarding wood Edwards said that properly cured wood could last a very long time. The Guyana delegate, Dolly Singh, confirmed this in regard to her wooden roof, which is over 30 years old and never underwent any repairs. A properly constructed roof can last about 40-50 years.

In order to respond quickly to emergency situations in neighbouring dioceses Edwards suggested a stockpiling of common building materials (e.g. galvanize, plywood, timbers, cement, tarpaulins etc.) in a large warehouse similar to the storage undertaken by FEEL.

Two or three dioceses can undertake this project so that in times of natural disasters these dioceses can offer aid quickly to other dioceses that have been badly hit. This would make rebuilding much easier and faster.

He cited the case of Grenada whose structural recovery could have been faster had there been readily available materials, including tarpaulins for which demand was much greater than supply. Money for this warehouse could come from the annual disaster collection in each diocese.

Edwards also suggested that a Building, Maintenance and Construction Committee was mandatory for each diocese. It should comprise an architect, quantity surveyor, reputable contractor, banker, lawyer, diocesan fiscal officer and liturgical expert.

While not stifling originality, this committee would try and standardise construction as much as possible in terms of quality, cost and style. This committee would ultimately reduce or avoid completely any financial or architectural disaster.

Building for the future

Colin Basso was the next speaker, an architect by profession, young and confident. He spoke on “Building for the Future”. He told us that hurricanes are the biggest threat among natural disasters in the Caribbean, coming as they do with high winds, heavy rains, flooding and storm surges.

Hurricanes we cannot prevent, but we can at least minimise their extent of devastation by adhering to certain basic precautions. These include building codes, building techniques, engineering and quality assurance, and approvals/standards. A list of the building codes used in the Caribbean was given.

Regarding building techniques Basso said: “A well constructed building is one where all the elements of the structure are tied together – footing to walls, walls to ring beams, and ring beams to rafters.” This method ensures the whole building holds together.

Walls should generally be constructed using 6-8 inch concrete blocks. Even though 4-inch clay blocks are widely used they are not officially approved in T&T and tests are currently taking place on them.

Six-eight inch concrete blocks will generally withstand a Category 5 hurricane. Roof sheets must be screwed in place using washers; the popular roofing nails are unsuitable. Long galvanize sheets are recommended as the uplift is more difficult with high winds. Like Edwards, Basso underscored the importance of having a well-constructed roof and agreed it was the weakest point in Caribbean construction.

Engineering and quality assurance demands the use of a structural engineer. He ought to visit the construction site regularly, especially during construction of the foundation and the roof. Even though many people cut corners on this point, Basso emphasized the importance of getting statutory approval for construction.

Window, roof and wall types must all be approved. In a hurricane prone belt galvanize sheets and concrete slabs are good but shingles and clay roofs are poor.

While Edwards recommended “generous eaves” Basso preferred short eaves “because winds can flow without having any uplift.” For church buildings that are over 20 years old, Basso recommended that a registered engineer inspect them to point out any defects/dangers and to recommend improvements.

He also thought it wise for each building to have a building file, which will include information like structural design and names of architects/engineers etc. used.

In conclusion, Basso recommended some upgrades that can be done on existing buildings. These include installing shutters that make the building airtight; insuring buildings with adequate coverage; constructing “strong rooms” to store valuables; designating or constructing buildings that can act as “hurricane shelters”; refraining from building on high elevations and keeping far from any waterfront.

With so much free advice from these two experts we should not only be checking up on church buildings but our own as well. Remember what Jesus said about building houses on sand. So get wise, be safe!