Wait for all-clear!
Stay inside until the all-clear is given.
Deputy Director of the Department of Emergency Management, Captain Robert Harewood, issued this explicit instruction yesterday afternoon ahead of Tropical Storm Harvey, which started to impact the island from late evening.
As he outlined the set-up of the National Emergency Operations Centre from 7 p.m. last night, he urged Barbadians to stay safely indoors until the system passes the island.
“We expect an all-clear of the system to be given sometime around mid-morning. Again, we will reiterate that we want persons to stay indoors, keep yourself safe until such time as an all-clear can be given where it will be safe to exit homes again,” he stressed.
Captain Harewood explained that the emergency management stakeholders met yesterday to review the prognosis of the system and made recommendations to the civil service and the private sector primaries, where the decision was made to have both the public and private sector offices shut their doors between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
“Given the prognosis the Met Office has given, we may have more significant rain bands within the system than wind, and they anticipate at least three inches of rain within the next 12 to 16 hours as the system approaches and passes Barbados. Given the propensity for rainfall and given that there was significant rainfall over the past month or so, the ground is already saturated so there is a potential for flash flooding.
“We therefore want the public to exercise caution in the areas prone for flooding as there is propensity for small land slippage. So we are advising the public to just be aware of the potential hazards and to be cautious out there,” he added.
His comments came as the developing system caused the early closure of Government offices from as early as 2:30 p.m. as the island went under a tropical storm warning from as early as 11 a.m. yesterday morning. As the storm approached, the Government Information Service (GIS) announced that the last Transport Board buses would leave terminals at 5 p.m. while after a recommendation from the Barbados Chamber and Commerce (BCCI), private sector businesses started a staggered closure as the island shutdown in preparation for the storm.
Offices started closing from 2:30 p.m.; retail stores at 3:30 p.m. and gas stations and supermarkets and other essentials by 4:30 p.m.
A small craft warning was put in effect from 6:00 p.m yesterday, Thursday, August 17.
Residents living in low lying areas were urged to be on the alert and take all necessary precautions.
At 5:00 p.m yesterday, the centre of T. S “Harvey” was located near 13.0°N, 55.8°W or about 250MI...400KM east of Barbados. The system was moving westward at 18 mph/ 30 km/h and on this track, the centre was expected to pass near or over Barbados early (approx. 8:00 A.M) Friday morning.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 40 mph (65km/h) with higher gusts. Minimum central pressure of 1004mb.....29.65 inches.
Deteriorating conditions with pockets of moderate to heavy showers, thunderstorms and gusty winds were expected to spread across Barbados late last night and into today.
Rainfall accumulations of 3 to 5 inches (75 to 125 millimeters) and possible isolated higher amounts are forecast.
In addition, large easterly swells of at least 2.5 to 3.0m (8 to 10 ft) are also forecasted to accompany the system. (JMB)