EDITORIAL: Preparing for the storm

Barbadians have long been accused of being procrastinators where disaster preparedness is concerned, but based on the reports heard on the various radio stations yesterday; it would appear that procrastination is now a thing of the past.

 

From all reports, persons have been accumulating hurricane supplies from the June 1 start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season and while the supermarkets and hardware stores were full yesterday, many appeared to be picking up a few items, rather than the heavy shopping that was the norm before. Indeed, we hope that this is behaviour that will continue in the future and that disaster preparedness and disaster management are concepts that are truly embraced by Barbadians.

 

But even with this positive step being taken, there were some who took to the airwaves and social media yesterday morning, when it seemed like no bad weather was coming our way, and openly criticised the authorities for instituting the national shutdown and made jokes about why a storm would not come here. Others disregarded the shutdown entirely and went about their business as usual.

 

Their argument essentially was that the Department of Emergency Management and the Meteorological Office got it wrong. But, to the contrary the decision was the right one, as the majority of Barbadians were indoors when the situation intensified and the system was upgraded to Tropical Storm Matthew, the 13th named storm for the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season. You see, the reality we must face is that even where forecasts are given, they are merely predictions. The weather is not hard and fast, but can be rather erratic at times; something that Barbadians certainly should realise and appreciate in light of the behaviour of Tropical Storm Matthew yesterday.

 

It seems the system slowed down, which resulted in the lull Barbados experienced in the morning period, and it was then that it became stronger and more organised, which caused the upgrade to tropical storm status. So even though it was said that the country was going to experience the effects from around midnight, the fact that adverse conditions were not felt until 12 hours later, is not a failure on the part of the Met Office, just simply the unpredictability of the weather.

 

But because persons assumed the authorities got it wrong, they hit the road, in some cases even going to beach and such actions must be strongly condemned. Those persons, who in spite of the national shutdown ventured outdoors for whatever reason, clearly did not take into consideration the possible consequences of their actions.

 

That brings us to the reports that some businesses actually opened their doors yesterday thinking that the worst had passed. This meant that when the weather conditions worsened in the late morning, earlier afternoon period, those employees had to try to make it back home, amidst heavy rains and gusty storm force winds, putting life and limb at risk. This behaviour was, as Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs, Adriel Brathwaite said, irresponsible and dangerous.

We are certain that any decision to institute a national shutdown is not made lightly, and so should be adhered to. Minister Brathwaite in fact said that it is mandatory, and all, individuals and businesses alike should abide by the decision.

 

There seemed, however, to be some uncertainty where the shutdown was concerned, and so it is felt that concerted efforts must be made to educate the public in general and the business community about what is expected during such circumstances. To date we have passed the halfway mark in respect of the hurricane season, but with two full months to go, it would be wise to get these issues ironed out so that there is no confusion in the future should a similar situation occur.