Roving Response Team cautions Bajans to stay put

President of the Roving Response Team Jeffrey Bovell has reminded Barbadians that it is dangerous to venture outdoors when there are stormy weather conditions.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY on Thursday afternoon, he advised Barbadians against venturing outside in the midst of unfavourable weather conditions before authorities issue the all-clear.

“It is not a circus, it is not something for you to go out and see. Over the years, I have found that people like to come out and watch and see what is happening, but that is very dangerous because there can be [Barbados] Light & Power electrical lines going down, and you don’t know if it is live.

“There could be galvanised sheets flying around. So it is always wise to stay at home and stay indoors, protect yourselves and protect your families before venturing out into the streets, and you should only do that once the all clear is given by the DEM [District Emergency Management],” Bovell said.

Appealing to Barbadians to take storm watches and warnings seriously, Bovell said he hoped residents were fully prepared for unexpected eventualities.

“With a system coming across, you can never predict its direction or what is going to happen. I also urge people to mitigate and put things in place as soon as possible for any eventualities that can happen. Always take these warnings seriously,” he said.

Bovell said the Roving Response Team began its preparations for Tropical Storm Bret on Tuesday afternoon, even though there were uncertainties regarding how the system would develop.

He said he met with other members of the response team to begin rolling out plans to stage equipment at different locations around the island.

“The team is set up in zones so every member knows which zone they are responsible for working, in case we have an impact and they are needed. We had to make sure that all our equipment – chainsaws, generators, and pumps – are working.

“Also, a part of the preparation was making sure that each member of the team was also prepared individually because we had to make sure that they had everything that they needed for themselves and their families,” he said.

Bovell said the team also relayed its state of readiness to the DEM.

“And this morning, we did some communication tests and we found that we had to make some repairs to our repeater. A team went to Welchman Hall and made repairs to that repeater, and we did testing and our communication equipment is up and running again.

“So, all in all, we have been very busy with meetings trying to make sure the team is adequately prepared for any eventuality that happens,” Bovell added.

(AH)