Barbadian residents have been told that “early warning, early action, saves lives” and they must “be prepared” this hurricane season.
These messages were shared last Saturday, at the start of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season during the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) and Sagicor’s Hurricane Awareness Open Day, at Queen’s Park, Constitution Road, St. Michael.
The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1 to November 30 and, according to the Colorado State University’s Extended Range Forecast, it is expected to be an “extremely” active hurricane season for 2024. Out of the 23 named storms, 11 will become hurricanes, with five expected to become Category 3 or above.
Minister of Home Affairs and Information, Wilfred Abrahams, indicated that the Ministry and the various stakeholders involved in disaster preparedness and response have been putting “readiness plans” in place.
“For the last couple of months, the various agencies, who have national responsibilities during a hurricane season, have increased their preparation efforts as they seek to maintain a state of readiness for response in the event of an actual hazard impact. Agencies have been fine-tuning their plans and procedures, utilising the opportunity of the recently concluded Tradewinds exercise in mid-May to validate and synchronise existing plans and procedures. You can be assured that the state is doing its job to ensure system-wide readiness,” Mr. Abrahams stated.
He said it is of utmost importance to the Government that the island is in a state of readiness and called on everyone to play their part in being prepared.
“Proactively seeking to reduce risk and vulnerability to the hydrometeorological events which can impact lives, livelihoods, and property this hurricane season continues to be of paramount importance to the Government of Barbados and the Department of Emergency Management…. I, therefore, call on you, the citizens and residents of Barbados to play your part in boosting national readiness….
“There is a clear need for a whole of society approach to hurricane preparedness, the Government and agencies can only do so much. If you, the citizen, don’t assume some responsibility for yourself, it makes everybody’s job a lot more difficult in the event of a disaster,” the Minister stressed.
Director of the DEM, Kerry Hinds; Deputy Director of the Barbados Meteorological Services, Brian Murray; and Sagicor General’s Assistant Manager – Insurance Operations, Donelle Belgrave-Young agreed with the Minister that preparedness is key during the season. They said if residents had not begun to prepare for the season, they needed to start now and put their preparedness plans in place, that way they are ready for any eventuality that might occur this season.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Programme Management Officer, Jair Torres, noted that early warning systems (EWS) can play a major role in disaster readiness, stating that “early warning systems allow us to take action and reduce the probability of having more casualties and economic losses”.
According to the UNDRR, an EWS is an integrated system of hazard monitoring, forecasting and prediction, disaster risk assessment, communication and preparedness activities, systems and processes that enables individuals, communities, governments, businesses, and others to take timely action to reduce disaster risks in advance of hazardous events.