BARBADOS' DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN for 2008 is ready, Attorney-General and Minister of Home Affairs Freundel Stuart announced yesterday.

And even as he told a Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry forum on disaster preparedness entitled: 2008 Hurricane Season – Are We Ready? that the Warrens-based emergency operations centre was ready and activated, he urged people not to be complacent.

"What deeply concerns me, however, is that many Barbadians seem to have come to believe that God has singled this nation out for a special dispensation and there is therefore no need to heed warnings inviting us to a greater state of preparedness.

"We therefore foxtrot or waltz through the season to the imagined strains of a benevolent nature, caring not about the need to heighten our alertness or deepen our sense of urgency about preparedness. I am constrained, however, to recognise and applaud those who frown on this approach and make a determined effort to plan appropriately for any eventuality," he said.

Above average

With predictions for an above average hurricane season with 15 named storms, the minister said he had received reports from the various sectors outlining plans in their respective areas of responsibility, including the Food and General Supplies Committee, which falls under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Its role is to maintain adequate supplies of food, water and general supplies for distribution island-wide and as needed, in the event of a disaster.

"This ministry has formulated an arrangement with the private sector to supply foodstuff on a consignment basis in such eventuality. As many as 13 merchants have pledged their commitment to this arrangement and to them I extend heartfelt appreciation on behalf of the Government.

Pledged

"In addition, a total of 25 warehouses and properties to be utilised as warehouses have been pledged, again mostly by the private sector. Furthermore, a number of persons have been trained in warehouse management as part of this process," Stuart said.

Regarding the Department of Emergency Management, he said: "For the 2008 hurricane season, the Department of Emergency Management is fully engaged in making the country ready. It has determined that the National Emergency Operations Centre is now fully functional.

"The National Emergency Operations Centre is automatically activated as soon as the appropriate warning is received from the meteorological department of an impending weather system," he said.