Eye on Bret

As tropical storm nears, Gov’t prepares and urges Bajans to do the same

By Anesta Henry

Acting Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw says the Government is prepared to ramp up national plans even as she advised Barbadians not to either panic or be complacent about the approaching Tropical Storm Bret which is expected to affect the island on Thursday.

The island is under a tropical storm watch as Bret, with maximum sustained winds near 65 miles per hour on Wednesday night, continued to move towards the Lesser Antilles.

The centre of Bret and its strongest winds are expected to pass approximately 58 miles to the north of Barbados late Thursday, while the outer bands will begin to affect the island from the afternoon with showers and gusty winds, according to the Barbados Meteorological Services’ (BMS) 8 p.m. bulletin.

During a tour of the BMS Charnocks, Christ Church office earlier in the day, Bradshaw said Barbadians should not continue to believe that God is a Bajan and the weather system would not hit the island.

“This system has changed quite a bit over the course of the last 24 to 48 hours but on its current trajectory, the predictions are that it is likely to pass to the north of the island and with that, of course, Barbadians need to be prepared.

“We are not sending Barbadians into a panic in any way whatsoever. Barbadians need to be vigilant; they need to be listening to the radio to hear whether or not there has been a shift in any of the patterns related to the system,” said Bradshaw.

The acting PM, who indicated she had a scheduled meeting in the evening with stakeholders to discuss national preparation plans in the event of a forecast of significant impact on the island, added: “Within the last 24 hours, we have been meeting as Government as well as with all of the stakeholders, with the Disaster Emergency Management (DEM) to be able to look at our preparedness for the hurricane season; and we are looking way beyond this particular system. It is not about just storm Bret because if you look at the systems on any of the satellite imagery, you can see that there are systems coming behind Bret.

“So this discussion in the last few days is not simply about this particular system, but it is to send a message to Barbadians that we cannot sit on our laurels any longer and just simply say that God is a Bajan.”

Bradshaw added that even with all the best intentions and the predictions, the meteorological services “can’t play God”.

“Barbadians, over the last few days, have been getting a number of reports as it relates to the positioning of this particular system. I think everybody is aware that we are at the outset of the hurricane season, but we are also beginning to realise that climate change is very real. And in saying that, it means that we have to be prepared for any eventualities,” she said.

Bradshaw, who is also Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources, also appealed to Barbadians to pay attention to weather information provided by reputable news agencies.

Meanwhile, Director of the Barbados Meteorological Services Sabu Best said that while local forecasters were currently monitoring Tropical Storm Bret, there were other systems following behind. Like Bradshaw, he advised Barbadians to take the weather bulletins seriously.

“In the last five to six years, we have been seeing these systems forming earlier, and they are passing closer, within 50 and 100 kilometres of Barbados,” he noted.

The BMS 8 p.m. bulletin stated that rainfall accumulations of one to three inches are likely across the island as a result of Tropical Storm Bret.

“This may result in flash flooding in low-lying districts. Persons in these areas should begin to make the relevant preparations to protect property and life,” it said.

“Marine conditions will deteriorate later tonight into early Friday morning. Moderate to rough swells of 2.5m to 3.5m (8 ft to 11ft) in open water around Barbados is expected to generate choppy conditions which will particularly affect the islands’ eastern and northern coastlines. As a result, a small craft and high surf advisory are in effect. Mariners are advised not to venture too far from port and secure their vessels immediately,” it added.

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb