Shore defences overhaul as hurricane threats intensify

The government is overhauling its coastal defences and creating new safe harbours for fishing vessels after Hurricane Beryl exposed serious vulnerabilities in the island’s port infrastructure, Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams announced on Friday.

He told journalists that work has already started at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex to significantly upgrade the breakwater defences. This follows waves breaching the existing structure during Hurricane Beryl in June last year, which destroyed nearly all the fishing boats docked there.

At a news conference to launch the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season at the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) in Warrens, Abrahams said: “Predicted impacts on our country may need to be revised, given changes in the intensity and development patterns in the weather systems we are now facing. Hurricane Beryl last year was testimony to that. It was evident that what we thought was a safe height for the boulders and dolosse, which formed part of our coastal defence system and provided safe harbour to our fishing fleet against the storm surge, had to be revised.

“Never in the history of Barbados has storm surge overwhelmed the outer wall of the Bridgetown Port, such that two vessels in what we considered to be the safest harbour of all were lost. Even in the aftermath [of Beryl], we saw the waves [at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex] rolling over our sea defence systems, which up to that point had proved more than adequate against anything that had ever hit Barbados.

During the launch, which was also attended by the Director of the Barbados Meteorological Services (BMS), Sabu Best, and the Director of the DEM, Kerry Hinds, Abrahams recalled that when he and a team visited the fisheries complex, they saw waves smashing boats together.

Acknowledging that even though the outer walls of the Bridgetown Port are massive, he recalled waves breaking and easily rolling over them, causing two boats to sink.

He said: “If you sail past that [Bridgetown Port wall] today and you look up, you would say to yourself, as was conceived when it was initially engineered, nothing will ever go over that wall. So, we are now in uncharted waters. All that we previously held as adequate, we now have to revise. And that applies not just to the government, but to everyone else.”

Work has started on the outer wall at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex, where the barrier is now wider at the base and narrows at the top, he said. “So, the base has been increased. You have made that triangle bigger, which means any wave or wave energy has more to try to push against. Is it complete? No, it is not complete.

“That was a massive undertaking. If you look at what’s involved in rebuilding it, all that equipment was not in Barbados. I have been assured that within the next month or so, we should be at some position of usability, but it is not complete. It will not be completed before the start of the hurricane season; and it is a project that is likely to continue until at least the end of this year.”

While workers are doing the best they can, alternative plans are being made for safe harbours for boats, Abrahams said.

“We have to go into negotiations with other places like Port St Charles and Port Ferdinand for increased facilities. We’re also looking at how we position the boats. We are fine-tuning the systems. It’s not going to be a free-for-all. As it stands now, when the advisory is given for the boats to come into shore, you have everybody rushing in, going wherever they can. No.”

Abrahams announced that the director of fisheries is coordinating to ensure that everyone knows where to go and in what order, because the vessels now have to be stacked to ensure maximum utility.

He suggested that while it is not the ideal situation, the government is doing the best it can in undertaking what is a “massive” engineering exercise.

As an extension to that, the government is preparing for the changing climate by investing in stronger infrastructure and protecting natural defences, both coastal and inland, reinforcing bridges against possible collapse in floods, and building more climate-resilient houses, he said.

Abrahams identified the breakwater at the fisheries complex, where it was thought the original five-tonne interlocking dolosse were an adequate defence, as now requiring a major upgrade.

The reconstructed breakwater will now have 15-tonne dolosse and will incorporate the giant granite boulders stored on the Mighty Grynner Highway as the core, he added.

“So, it is going to be higher, and maybe three times as strong as the one that was destroyed. That is our reality. We can no longer look at what the average was, at what the historical was. We now have to plan and expand our minds to contemplate the greatest possible impact.”

Abrahams sought to assure citizens that the emergency disaster management officials are as ready as possible to respond to the potential impact of the impending storms likely to affect Barbados.

DEM Director Kerry Hinds told Barbadians that the national emergency management system has proved to be effective, potentially saving lives once “we actively play our part”.

She called on the public to support this endeavour and help the DEM to help the wider society.

“Volunteer with the District Emergency Organisation, prepare your personal, family, business and community spaces, heed the warnings and stay informed. Assist the vulnerable and at-risk among us,” she suggested.

Hinds added: “Support our public awareness events, which we will be embarking on with our many partners. Find time to engage with the Department of Emergency Management staff and the DEO volunteers within the various communities, taking stock of the invaluable preparedness information and tips. Continue to prepare for our changing climate.”

The DEM also unveiled a Transport Board bus and a bus shelter branded by the multi-hazard early warning system. (EJ)