No all-clear yet

Home Affairs and Information Minister Wilfred Abrahams this afternoon stressed that the all-clear following the passage of Hurricane Beryl has not yet been given, as he pleaded with Barbadians to remain indoors and Chief Shelter Warden Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw urged those who sought refuge at shelters across the island not to leave just yet.

During a press briefing at the Department of Emergency Management’s (DEM) headquarters, home to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), Abrahams said officials were dismayed that Barbadians had been venturing outside though the hurricane was still impacting the island.

He said while the intention had been to give the all-clear by now, the hurricane’s continued heavy winds and rains have resulted in that decision being delayed. The minister therefore urged Barbadians to stay indoors where they are safe.

“I know that everybody’s wondering when the all-clear is going to be given, and we have been monitoring the system literally every 10 minutes. So every 10 minutes, we get an update from Met Services. We’re not trying to keep you home. I just want to make that really clear. Our primary concern is the safety of Barbados and Barbadians. That is the number one concern for us here at the NEOC,” he said. “I am asking you, to think of others and yourself, and unless it’s a dire emergency, please stay indoors. We cannot guarantee your safety outside.”

At 1 p.m., in the latest update from meteorologist with the Barbados Meteorological Services, Jonathan Alleyne, Hurricane Beryl, which had weakened to a Category 3 storm, had intensified to Category 4 strength again.

“The reason we’re still getting a lot of these gusty winds and intense periods of rainfall across the island is that, as the system intensified, even though it’s so far from Barbados, we’re still actually feeling the feeder bands and some of the effects of the system because it’s so large once again. It’s re-intensified,” he explained.

As a result, the hurricane warning, which was issued on Sunday, remains in effect.

Reports had emerged of individuals on the roads despite the hazardous conditions, prompting the Home Affairs and Information Minister to warn against this.

“If you are on the roads right now and it’s not an emergency, your behaviour is selfish because the emergency services have to put themselves in a position to respond if something happens. That is taking them away from something else that they could be doing so we can get the country open a lot faster,” he stressed.

Concerns have also been raised by various agencies, including the Barbados Police Service (BPS), the Barbados Defence Force (BDF), and the Barbados Light and Power Company Limited (BLPC). “Light and Power, which is handling certain critical things at the moment, are concerned about people coming into danger areas with live wires on the ground and smatterings of water. It is not safe,” Abrahams added.

“Right now, people are still getting their roofs blown off, so just because nothing is happening by you does not mean that the gusts are not impacting somewhere else.”

He further underscored the unpredictability and strength of the storm, citing recent weather observations.

“Within the last five minutes, we’ve had gusts up to 50 miles an hour. Now that is strong. That is storm force. I’m asking you to please stay at home for your safety. We cannot tell you where the gusts are going to come from. We can’t tell you what’s coming with the gusts, whether it’s a projectile or a missile. There’s nothing more important than your safety and preserving your life,” Abraham said.

In response to questions about damage assessment, Minister Abrahams revealed that attempts to use drones for evaluation had to be aborted due to the severe gusts.

“We sent up the drones, but the drones had to come back down because of the gusts. These drones are actually meant to fly in gusts [but] some of the gusts were too strong, and drones were being put at risk. So the drone operators asked us to bring the drones back in, and they brought the drones back in,” he said.

Stressing the seriousness of the situation, the minister added: “If I am not going to authorise the risking of a piece of equipment, then I find it difficult to authorise the risking of the life of a human being that cannot be replaced. This is serious.”

Earlier, Superintendent of Police Stephen Herbert, the operations officer in charge at the NEOC, stressed that only essential service personnel should be on the roads, and those found outside without a valid reason would be asked to return home.

“The course of action required by police officers encountering persons will be to stop, first of all, find out the reason for them being there. The only persons who should be on the roads are the essential services doing the assessments, and all other persons should be asked to return to their dwellings,” he said.

Herbert also addressed the various reports received by the police, which included damage to property and electrical issues:

“We’ve had a number of reports of damage to property. We had a number of reports in relation to electrical challenges – electrical poles fallen, transformers blown – and instances like that certainly create room for disaster where we have power lines fallen and the outside is wet. People can find themselves in challenges.”

Meanwhile, Dr Archer-Bradshaw, who is chief shelter warden by virtue of her position as Chief Education Officer, reported that people had been leaving the shelters prematurely.

“Reports have come to me from my shelter wardens that they’re making it clear to the shelterees that they should not leave. However, some of them are deciding to leave on their own.

“As of one hour ago (midday), we had 443 persons in our shelters. With this lull, that we are getting now, or what appears to be a lull, persons are beginning to leave the shelters,” she said, adding that the last count was 435. “Barbadians, I’m appealing to you. The all-clear has not been given. It is not safe for you to be outside.”

Dr Archer-Bradshaw reassured the public that the shelters are all well-prepared, safe and comfortable.