Disaster management specialist encourages personal responsibility

CERTIFIED Disaster Management Specialist, Simon Alleyne, is highlighting the importance of personal responsibility leading up to the hurricane season.

In a recent press statement, Alleyne said that while Barbadians are very knowledgeable about what they should do in the hurricane season, he found that a few of them are still apathetic, relying on the fact that Barbados has not been hit by any major hurricanes or storms in 65 years.

“Bajans are very knowledgeable about what they should do to prepare for the hurricane season such as clearing drains, stocking up on canned goods and knowing the location of the nearest shelter. However, many are still apathetic and rely on our history of not having major storm activity to suggest that future hurricane seasons would be somewhat inactive,” he said, reflecting on the damage caused by Hurricane Elsa, which hit Barbados on July 2, resulting in over 2,000 homes being damaged and over 11,000 persons without electricity in the past week.

Alleyne, who has a Masters of Science in Emergency Management and Planning from the University of Hertfordshire, England with commendation and a former Programme Officer at the Depart-ment of Emergency Management (DEM), said that the Barbados Light and Power Company (BLP) needed to be more proactive regarding customer complaints about leaning poles and overgrown trees before the start of the hurricane season.

“Many persons stated that they had made reports about leaning poles and overgrown trees months ago, but they were not swiftly dealt with.

The Barbados Light and Power must have reliable subcontractors who trim trees and realign electrical poles prior to the start of the hurricane season,” he said.

Alleyne stressed the importance of having trained District Emergency Officials (DEO) personnel to be strategically located at hurricane shelters, because it provides a secure location for their temporary Emergency Operations Centre and allows for greater monitoring of persons who enter the shelter.

In addition, he noted that the members of the Ministry of Transport and Works should be commended for being consistent in their debushing and road clearing exercise shortly after the ashfall.

“The clearing of ash, garbage and overgrown bush from the drains assisted drainage around the island as it was observed that although water settled after the rains, it was able to quickly run off in hours as opposed to days,” he said.

Despite his praise for the members of the Ministry of Transport and Works, he noted that there is a need for greater disaster management training and programmes for leaders in business, government, and the community.

“There is a need for greater disaster management training and programmes for leaders in business, government, and the community and I intend to lend my knowledge and expertise to empower persons to be more proactive,” he said.