People who were seriously affected by Hurricane Beryl have been given an assurance that the social services ministry is moving to assist them and plan future improvements.
Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey outlined the ministry’s approach to disaster preparation and response. “In the ministry, our job is to have what we call ex ante and ex post—before and after an event,” he said. “Before the event, we had several planning meetings, identified most of the houses and personnel that we deem to be vulnerable, and overlaid that information with areas most likely to flood based on where the hurricane is coming from.”
The assurance comes one week after Beryl’s tropical storm force winds and storm surges dealt a severe blow to the island’s coastal infrastructure along the south and west, damaging the island’s lone cruise and cargo facility, the Bridgetown Port, and nearly wiping out scores of fishing vessels seeking a safe harbour in the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex.
Humphrey said the ministry’s preparatory work resulted in a map of potential impact zones, although the hurricane’s diversion meant that many anticipated effects were not realised. Humphrey reported approximately 40 requests for assistance, significantly fewer than after Hurricane Dorian.
The ministry has coordinated with other agencies to provide immediate relief. “What the ministry normally would do is that we would come, and we’d make a social assessment with the DEM (Department of Emergency Management) and the Ministry of Housing,” Humphrey explained. “If the person has to get foodstuff, we provide [that]. If the person needs temporary accommodation, we give them temporary accommodation while the UDC (Urban Development Commission), the RDC (Rural Development Commission), or, to a certain extent, the NHC (National Housing Corporation) is able to fix the house.”
Humphrey emphasised the ongoing efforts to prepare for natural disasters in the face of climate change. “We’ve been saying for a long time that the climate has changed and, you know, that this is a climate crisis,” he said. “And there is a good thing about not being hit by a hurricane or having a major event for as long as we did not have a major event. But there’s also something to be said about it not allowing us to build up a degree of resilience and readiness.”
Despite the absence of major events in recent years, the ministry has consistently tested its systems. “We had Elsa in 2021, and it allowed us to see and test some of our systems. But every year, religiously, we test our systems almost as if we’re having an event.”
But the minister acknowledged limitations to preparedness for more powerful cyclones. “It is clear to me that even with all of our preparation and so on, most of the region, and certainly not Barbados, could be fully prepared for a category four or category five system,” he noted.
The minister expressed particular concern for the fishing community, with which he has worked closely in the past. “I feel a certain sense of affinity for the fisherfolk,” Humphrey said. “We built out the jetties in Speightstown, Oistins, Bridgetown, and other facilities all over Barbados. So we really improved the industry.”
Humphrey lamented the unexpected damage to fishing vessels in the harbour. “It hurts me to see what happened to the fishing vessels in the harbour. None of us expected that,” he said. “I’m happy to hear the response from the prime minister and the minister in relation to what we’re going to do for them.”
The government’s response to Hurricane Beryl underscores its commitment to disaster preparedness and community support in the face of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
(RG)
