Barbados escapes major impact from TS Dorian

Barbados has been spared any major impact from Tropical Storm Dorian.

Home Affairs Minister Edmund Hinkson told a short briefing at the Emergency Operations Centre at the headquarters of the Department of Emergency Management that only minor damages were reported.

“We have heard of a tree, I believe falling in St Luke’s, Melverton area in St George. We have had a report as well of galvanise from a house in French Village, St Peter. But nothing really, clearly, no loss of life or physical damage to anyone,” he said.

Hinkson noted that 38 emergency shelters were operational, with 17 of those being occupied by the 102 people.

Meteorologist Sabu Best explained that Barbados escaped the effects of Tropical storm Dorian because it had failed to develop properly and weakened as a result of conditions, which hampered its development.

“The visible and even infrared satellite imagery was clearly showing an eyewall trying to develop and there were instances of a small pinhole eye but that totally eroded away and that happens with systems that are trying to intensify and you see up and down intensity like a wave see-sawing, like it is trying to fight against the elements… Dorian lost the battle.”

He, however, noted that while the system had passed the southern tip of the island, Barbados would still experience storm like conditions for another three to four hours.

“ That is the key really and outside of that, you should see a gradual improvement in terms of wind speed. So right now until 2- 3 o’clock we need to be very vigilant and be very careful about this,” Best stressed.

The south of the island felt the strongest effects of the system.

Several people reported power outages in sections of St Philip, St John and Christ Church amid reports of high winds, thunder, lightning and short bursts of heavy rain.

General Manager of the Barbados Water Authority Keith Halliday said that Barbados Light and Power outages impacted on their facilities at the Hampden and Bushy Park, St Philip.

He was however confident that the problems would be rectified as soon as the all-clear was given.