Activate plans

Activate your disaster plans and continue to pay attention to the progress of Hurricane Isaac.

This was the advice of Director of the Department of Emergency Management Kerry Hinds as she gathered with other emergency response agencies and government officials on Sunday evening at Government Headquarters.

“We request persons to clean up around their homes, ensure they have the necessary supplies to take them through the system and of course constantly monitor for any updates from the authorities,” she stated, noting that the DEM had instructed the other agencies to activate their internal procedures.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley also encouraged citizens to ensure that they were fully prepared in case the island was impacted.

“Barbadians cannot take anything for granted. This is not about panicking anybody, it is just about doing the basics,” she stressed.

In light of this, she outlined that government had implemented on a major clean-up of the country’s ten most flood prone areas.

“Realistically if the hurricane does not hit us we still have to be wary of the level of flooding that may take place, and we are trying to address the ten most likely areas that would be affected by flooding ahead of time. Government is using the next 48 to 72 hours to clean the most flood prone areas. We have done some already and we only have to complete the rest. We would like people to do the same around their properties and their communities and their gaps.”

Mottley noted that the clean up was not without its own challenges however, as much of the necessary equipment at the Public Works ministry was not functional and therefore appealed to the private sector to provide assistance.

“The Ministry of Public Works will meet with the private sector to see where we can get additional generator capacity and I am calling on all members of the private sector to work with the Government agencies,” she added.