Hurricane shelter readiness ‘strengthened’ ahead of 2026 season

The government has significantly improved the readiness of its hurricane shelters ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season, with most facilities upgraded and contingency measures in place to offset temporary closures, Minister of Home Affairs and Information Gregory Nicholls has said.

He told Barbados TODAY that extensive work had been carried out to ensure shelters are prepared should the island be threatened by a storm.

“Yes, the shelters have been improved a lot,” he said, crediting the Ministry of Education Transformation for leading much of the work.

“A lot of the shelters that were Category 1 shelters are back in use again this year. One or two of them have been taken out of commission because they’re being retrofitted and renovated… but we are happy with the level of preparation.”

While some school-based shelters remain unavailable due to ongoing renovation works, alternative locations have been identified to maintain the island’s emergency shelter capacity, Nicholls explained. 

The authorities have also ensured critical infrastructure at shelters is operational, he added:

“We have made sure that the ones that have to have the water tanks filled [and] are in operation. That has [also] been done with diesel generators. We made sure that those are working and are backed up.”

The minister praised education officials for completing an extensive preparedness checklist ahead of the hurricane season.

Beyond physical infrastructure, Nicholls stressed the need to recruit more volunteers to support district emergency organisations across Barbados:

“One of the things that we have to do as Barbadians is to get a number of the volunteers who work in various communities… to play a greater part with the disaster planning and preparedness. 

“If those volunteers are incapacitated in an emergency, then who fills the gap? So we need to get the number of volunteers at the community levels up and running.”

The government is also refining its disaster response systems and strengthening regional partnerships, Nicholls said. 

“Logistical planning can also always be improved, and that is what we’re working on to refine those plans, modernise our systems, and make sure that we are able and ready to respond.”

He noted that Barbados continues to benefit from support provided by regional agencies, including the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), following his attendance at its Council of Ministers meeting in Trinidad.

The minister also urged Barbadians to play their part in reducing hurricane risks before storms threaten the island:

“We’re working hard to make sure that all these things are done to keep Barbadians safe… but at the end of the day it’s going to require individual participation, individual vigilance.”

He also encouraged communities to continue clearing drains, trimming trees and removing debris from gullies to prevent dangerous flying objects and reduce flooding during severe weather.

(SB)