Emergency management consultant Roy Ward said some countries had become complacent because they had not been hit by a hurricane in the last 30 or 50 years.

When this happened, the damage and death toll was higher than if they were prepared, he told the audience during the Democratic Labour Party's lunchtime lecture on Disaster Mitigation last Friday.

Ward said most homes did not have care or emergency packages or a programme prepared ahead of a disaster.

"We usually wait until the last minute. Complacency is the biggest problem in the Caribbean but it is at the personal level, not the Government level.

"You have people who go down to Bathsheba to surf on the waves when they have heard the storm or hurricane warnings. And there are those people who have been living on the same spot for 40 years and refuse to move to go to a shelter," he said.

As part of their care or emergency packages, Ward said Barbadians should acquire cash at least 36 hours before a hurricane since ATM services, credit cards and cheques would be of no use in the event the electricity shut down.

"Also, having an adequate supply of medicines is important. We usually evacuate seconds before disaster hits and leave medication behind. Then you have an emergency within an emergency because someone, if they are asthmatic, could have an attack brought on by fear and anxiety."

He said last year was the most expensive year for the Caribbean in terms of the body count after natural disasters.

Ward said because of space limitations, some Barbadians were forced to build homes on flood plains and on shorelines.

He advised that houses on flood plains should be elevated to avoid the possibility of flooding, though the tendency here was to build flat.

In addition, things like hurricane straps should become a common practice when building homes.