Winds unleash assault on roads and homes as storm picks up hurricane speeds over Barbados

The record-breaking earliest named storm of the hurricane season, which became Hurricane Elsa on Barbados’ door-step ended a 65-year streak of side-stepping intense cyclones, claiming no lives and delivering what Prime Minister Mia Mottley described as a “significant hit”.   

As the all-clear was given around 4.30 p.m., Mottley, who joined Government officials at the Emergency Operations Centre made it clear there were major concerns across the country with preliminary details just emerging – including the loss of more than 150 rooftops, seven crushed houses and highways blocked by felled trees.

She declared: “Let us give thanks, we have no evidence of any loss of life and that is the most important news that we have heard today.

“There has clearly been significant damage across the island over the course of the last few hours. It is too early for us to give you a comprehensive picture.

“We do know that without entering all the data into the databases they have at least 177 roofs that have been damaged so far, at least seven collapsed houses. There are a number of major arteries that have fallen trees, at least 17 fallen trees blocking roads. For instance there is a roof blocking the road, there are some small pleasure craft that have run aground, not many, and of course there are some poles that are down.”

Just after midnight, an eerie calm settled over the country, signalling the ominous approach of the system which was expected to pack heavy rains and storm-forced winds of 60 miles per hour. But into the daybreak hours Elsa unleashed her fury of howling winds maxing out at 82 miles per hour in southern Barbados, along with torrential rains and thunderstorms.

Late Friday, the Prime Minister, Home Affairs Minister Wildred Abrahams and newly-appointed Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency Elizabeth Riley and other officials took to the hard-hit Christ Church communities of Fairy Valley and Thyme Bottom.

“We started in Christ Church mainly because the South of the island took really the hardest, hardest hit and to that extent therefore I wanted to get on rather than waiting until early in the morning.

“Even in just this small district [Thyme Bottom/Fairy Valley] and we haven’t been here 45 minutes, we saw two houses down below, and five here in Thyme Bottom.”

Mottley said full assessments would be conducted Saturday and thereafter she would address the country.

The Prime Minister stressed that the immediate focus is to keep people safe.

She urged those whose homes had been damaged not to remain exposed to the elements and to seek refuge in shelters that currently remain open.

She said: “Against all the background of these damaged roofs we’ve made the position known that those persons who need to go into shelters do not pay ‘powerful foolish’, do not play strong… go into the shelters, stay dry, stay safe and at least allow us to work with you.”

She assured residents they would be taken care of, noting that the Barbados Defence Force would provide food to shelters tonight and the Schools Meals Department would later take over.

Mottley appealed to Barbadians to be patient, warning that utilities would be spotty possibly over the next two to three days.

“Fortunately, because we have put in place a programme to have generators at the various pumping stations and reservoirs we expect that over the next 24 hours that three-quarters of those installations which have generators or access to another 12 that we would have rented this week, that we should be able to have the majority of those pumping stations of the Barbados Water Authority back up and running within the next 24 hours.”

Electricity was being slowly restored across the City, sections of Christ Church and St George with crews from the Barbados Light & Power still conducting assessments Friday.

Mottley noted that in recent months Barbados had been severely challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ashfall from the La Soufriere Volcano, and a freak storm but expressed confidence in the country’s resilence.

“We have faced a hurricane that may well have been the worst since 1955 with Hurricane Janet. If this country has faced all three of things in the last few months, the resilience of the Barbadian people is what more than anything else is buoying me tonight and have given me the confidence to know that we shall get past this moment too.

“We shall build back,” she declared, urged Barbadians to start the process of clean-up till tomorrow. (sandydeane@barbadostoday.bb)