MEMBERS OF THE business community yesterday voiced frustration about the national shutdown instituted for Tropical Storm Matthew on September 27 and 28, and surprise that procedures existed for a staggered system of closure.
Chief executive officer (CEO) of Rubis Caribbean, Mauricio Nicholls, said he knew nothing of such a plan.
He said closing service stations at the stipulated time created a massive problem, and extending it for more than a day was “highly disruptive”.
Describing the shutdown as “a bit too much”, he contended the service stations should be considered an essential service.
“What happens when a hurricane or storm is coming is, everybody wants to fuel their car. On a normal day 20 per cent of the cars are fuelled but for a hurricane, 100 per cent of cars go for the stations,” he said during the question-and-answer segment of the breakfast discussion organised by the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) at Hilton Barbados. (WILLCOMM)
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