It is being put together by Barbadian groups in the United States, Canada and Britain.

"It is still in the developmental stages," former chairman of the National Association of Barbados Organisations Inc. (NABO), Mike Cummins, told reporters yesterday.

"We're hoping to present a rough draft of the document to the Government in about six weeks' time."

Preemptive move

The plan involves collecting and stockpiling emergency supplies, including foodstuff, abroad for use in Barbados in the event of a hurricane or some catastrophe.

"We're not waiting for a disaster to strike to collect material," Cummins pointed out.

He said Barbadians living abroad got the idea for the relief plan after Hurricane Katrina – one of the costliest and most deadly hurricanes in the history of the United States – devastated Louisiana in August, 2005. The storm caused several Barbadians to start thinking.

"We told ourselves if it can happen in Louisiana, it can happen in Barbados; and Barbados at some point in time would need some assistance from the resources that we have outside of Barbados," Cummins commented.

Importing skills

NABO chairman Earl Ashby also said that the organisation was working on a database of skilled Barbadians living abroad, including carpenters, masons, doctors and lawyers, to provide help in an emergency.

This database would be made available to Government "so that in case there is a disaster, we can actually send these skills to Barbados. That way you can have carpenters come down, electricians come down, doctors come down and help out at that point in time", he explained.

Cummins said once the Government had made its input, the disaster relief plan would be detailed at a big conference the Barbadian groups are hosting here on August 3 to 10.

Cummins and Ashby announced the plans during a Press conference at the training centre of the Barbados Public Workers' Co-operative Credit Union in Belmont Road, St Michael, yesterday.

About 600 Barbadians living in Canada, the United States and Britain, as well as 40 buyers, are expected to fly in for the conference.

The conference provides an opportunity for local manufacturers to showcase their products to buyers with a view to breaking into foreign markets and for Barbadians residing abroad to renew or establish business and other local ties, according to Cummins. (TY)