Barbadians urged to take more reponsibility for disaster preparedness

Certified Disaster Management Specialist Simon Alleyne is underscoring the importance of taking personal responsibility leading up to the hurricane season.

Alleyne said that while Barbadians are very knowledgeable about what they should do in the hurricane season he found that a few of them were still apathetic and relying on the fact that Barbados has not been hit by any major hurricanes or storms in 65 years.

“Bajans are very knowledgeable about what they should do to prepare for the hurricane season such as clearing drains, stocking up on canned goods, and knowing the location of the nearest shelter. However, many are still apathetic and rely on our history of not having major storm activity to suggest that future hurricane seasons would be somewhat inactive,” he said.

Alleyne was reflecting on the damage caused by Hurricane Elsa which hit Barbados on July 2nd, resulting in over 2,000 homes being damaged, and over 11,000 persons without electricity in the past week. Alleyne who has a Master’s of Science in Emergency Management and Planning from the University of Hertfordshire, England, with commendation, and is a former Programme Officer at the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), said that The Barbados Light and Power (BLP) needed to be more proactive regarding customer complaints that could mitigate the effect of hurricanes.

“The BLP needs to be more proactive regarding customer complaints about leaning poles and overgrown trees close to the power lines before the start of the hurricane season. Many persons stated that they had made reports about leaning poles and overgrown trees months ago, but they were not swiftly dealt with. The Barbados Light and Power must have reliable subcontractors who trim trees and realign electrical poles prior to the start of the hurricane season,” he said.

Alleyne stressed the importance of having trained District Emergency Officials (DEO) personnel to be strategically located at hurricane shelters because it provided a secure location for their temporary Emergency Operations Centre and allowed for greater monitoring of persons who enter the shelter.

In addition, he noted that the members of the Ministry of Transport and Works should be commended for being consistent in their debushing and road clearing exercise shortly after the ash fall.

“The clearing of ash, garbage and overgrown bush from the drains assisted drainage around the island as it was observed that although water settled after the rains it was able to quickly run off in hours as opposed to days,” he said.

Despite his praise for the members of the Ministry of Transport and Works he noted that there was a need for greater disaster management training and programmes for leaders in various sectors.

“There is a need for greater disaster management training and programmes for leaders in business, government, and the community and I intend to lend my knowledge and expertise to empower persons to be more proactive,” he said. (Write Right PR Services)