Students from the Building Studies Division of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI) are busy with the construction of a hurricane-resistant building, to be used by the Department of Emergency Management (DEM).
When completed, the building, which is being donated to the DEM by the Barbados Canada Association (BCA), will be used for the storage of emergency supplies in the aftermath of a storm.
The SJPI was commissioned to commence the project following a site visit by representatives from the Institute, the BCA and the DEM, in January.
During a recent tour of the building site, Deputy Principal of SJPI, Brenda Osbourne, expressed the institution’s gratitude to the Barbados Canada Association for engaging the institution.
She said the SJPI welcomed the opportunity, as it has permitted students of the Building Studies Division to hone skills gained over the past year.
Local representative for the Barbados Canada Association, Albert Scheper, explained that “the initiative to donate the building came about because the organisation recognised that in the aftermath of a catastrophic event, it becomes difficult for those in need to access essential items”.
The design drawings for the building were prepared by the Architectural Drafting students, and the Carpentry students are carrying out construction, under the guidance of instructors from the Division.
The United States-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts that the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season will produce 12 to 17 named tropical storms, five to nine of which could become hurricanes.
On July 2, 2021, Barbados sustained significant damage from Hurricane Elsa, the first hurricane to hit Barbados since 1955. The Category 1 cyclone battered the island with maximum sustained winds of nearly 74 miles per hour.