Vulnerable persons “who have no family or friends to take care of them during a disaster”, for example a hurricane, are urged to register either with the National Assistance Board, the National Disabilities Unit, or a District Emergency Organisation, police or fire station in their area.

These include the elderly who live alone and persons with disabilities (PWDs), especially wheelchair users.

Chair of the Vulnerable Persons Committee, Deiann Sobers, said the registration “was necessary so that the Ministry of Social Care would have some knowledge of those persons who would need assistance in getting to a shelter.”

She explained that the role of the Committee involved ensuring shelters identified as safe refuge for vulnerable persons were retrofitted by the relevant agency to meet their needs and appropriate persons were in place to look after the needs of PWDs or persons with chronic illnesses requiring individual care. It also includes maintaining a current listing of needed and available human and material resources, and providing information pertaining to the number of vulnerable persons in the respective shelters and their needs.

emcclean@barbados.gov.bb

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