B’DOS SPARED THE WORST

BARBADOS was spared the worst from Tropical Storm Harvey, which passed the island between Thursday night and Friday morning.

Though no life was lost, the storm left a trail of damages to houses and properties across the island, particularly in St. Peter and Christ Church.

Following the heavy rains, thunderstorms, fierce lightning and flooding which affected the island for just over 12 hours, officials at the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) told The Barbados Advocate that they received 40 reports from residents across the island.

Some of the reports included damages to houses, flooding, power outages and fallen trees, amongst others.

Minister of Home Affairs and Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite, and DEM’s Director Kerry Hinds led a large team that toured some of the affected areas, particularly in St. Peter, which was hardest hit, to get situation awareness of what was happening on the ground and also to hear the plight of victims.

“We would have reinforced to the residents in the areas who were affected, that we would come to their aid and of course the Welfare Department would do a socio-economic assessment on the situation and then we would come up with a number of solutions in order to remedy the problem. Hopefully, as we go through the process, it would not be too long as we note the position in which our victims are in at this point in time.

“My heart goes out to the persons who would have had some loss as a result of Tropical Storm Harvey. But of course, we are here to offer whatever assistance we can, as humanly possible,” Hinds said, as she spoke to the media during a press conference at Round de Town, Speightstown, St. Peter.

Hinds informed that some victims indicated that they had made arrangements with relatives and friends about storing their belongings. But she assured that officials would look into long-term housing solutions for those affected.

Meanwhile, Brathwaite pointed out that a temporary housing solution was found for one St. Peter family that indicated that they had no place to stay.

The Minister was quick to acknowledge the contribution of residents who assisted those who were in need, during and after the storm passed.

He also thanked members of the emergency personnel who played a role in ensuring Barbados returned to a normal setting as quickly as possible.

Government offices closed from as early as 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, as Barbados remained under tropical storm warning as the Potential Cyclone #9 approached the island.

The Barbados Transport Board had advised that the last bus for Thursday would leave the terminals at 5 p.m., while the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry recommended that private sector entities employ a staggered shutdown approach.

At 8 p.m. on the dot, the island’s roads were relatively clear and the stormy conditions started. The storm warning was lifted around 8 a.m. yesterday and an all-clear was given for government offices and private entities to reopen their doors around midday.

While the time was set for businesses to reopen at noon, around 1 p.m. the doors to some businesses in the City were still closed. In fact, some commercial banks did not open for business yesterday.

Due to the weather system, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) announced the closure of its outpatients’ clinics yesterday. Patients with clinic appointments were contacted by the Medical Records Department to reschedule their appointments. All outpatient clinics resume on Monday, August 21.

Meanwhile, Brathwaite said he was pleased that businesses co-operated with plans to get people off the streets as early as possible. He noted that some business owners assured him that their staff members would be taken to their homes.

“I think generally that we have to give the business community and Barbadians as a whole an A for their co-operation. Even coming down here just now, I didn’t see a lot of vehicles on the road,” Brathwaite said.

Though the hurricane shelters were opened, only one was occupied.

A mother and son went to Gordon Greenidge Primary School.

A statement from the Barbados Light and Power Co. Ltd. (BL&P) indicated that the outages across several parishes were as a result of at least three of the utility feeders going out for just under 20 minutes, affecting small parts of St. Michael, Christ Church and St. Philip. (AH)