On relief alert

Barbados is on standby to help neighbours in St Lucia, St Vincent and Dominica after a deadly downpour over the Christmas period.
“We are monitoring the situation in St Lucia, St Vincent and Dominica and await the damage assessment reports and requests for assistance,” said Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs Adriel Brathwaite yesterday.
Under the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Barbados is the main focal point for those countries in a case of such a sub-regional type event.
Brathwaite explained that even though there was only capacity for limited response, Barbados would do whatever it could to assist the people in the three countries. Under the ambit of CDEMA, Barbados maintains a warehouse with supplies of certain non-perishable items as well as tents and other urgent relief needs.
The agency has been activated and executive director Ronald Jackson explained that the situation, while deadly, fell into a Level 2 category, meaning that the countries could manage on their own and had requested only minimal external assistance.