‘Help them’

Director General of the Barbados Red Cross Danielle Toppin wants more resources dedicated to helping at-risk families prepare for natural disasters.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY recently as her organisation fine-tuned preparations for the start of the 2023 hurricane season, she pointed out that some families cannot afford to buy the necessary supplies.

“The reality is not every family is in the position to stock up for the whole season. There is an assumption that people can always afford that and many families cannot. I think that is something we should be looking at and not just the messaging about making sure you have sufficient water, making sure you have sufficient supplies, but also what is going to be put in place for the families who cannot afford that,” Toppin said.

She noted that given the high levels of devastation seen here and in other parts of the region from Hurricane Elsa and other storms over the last few years, Barbadians have demonstrated “a heightened awareness”.

However, she added: “I don’t think that has as yet translated into heightened preparations.”

The head of the humanitarian organisation further stressed that preparedness was more than just getting ready for the June 1 to November 30 hurricane season.

“In a Barbadian context, we need to reframe what we think of or what the public thinks of when it [comes] to disasters. Preparedness is not something that should happen only [during] hurricane season; for example, we now have a surge in fires…. Do you allow excessive grass to grow that can become a fire [hazard]?

“It’s the day-to-day actions that build resistance. I think that for us as an organisation, we have to look at what we saw as a disaster and how we become involved in disaster preparedness and response. Resilience is something that does not just happen during hurricane season, it’s a year-round activity,” she explained.   

Toppin suggested there should be an investment in first aid training as those skills are relevant even outside a natural disaster.

“First aid is definitely one of the most accessible ways that every home can increase resilience because it builds confidence. If you are panicking when something happens – that can be a cut, that can be an asthma attack – just having that level of confidence within the home, there [will be] spillover effects,” she said.

“So I think there should be a push, not for it to be either something that companies push or that an individual may have an interest in but that becomes a part of the culture. Resilience is all of that [and] our focus is on building resilience, not just disaster management or disaster preparedness.”

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb