THE ELDERLY IN BARBADOS form a particularly vulnerable group if a disaster of any kind hits the country.
This was outlined by Clive Lorde, a representative with the USAID Office of United States Foreign Disaster Assistance as he addressed staff and residents of the Vauxhall Senior Citizens Village in Christ Church as part of United Nations International Day for Disaster Reduction.
Lorde told the residents they needed to be armed with information and awareness of all disasters that could come in the form of fire, flood, hurricanes, earthquakes or tsunamis.
According to the disaster risk management consultant, as older residents of the community, a response plan was critical.
“Tsunamis and earthquakes have happened in Barbados and are likely to happen again and we have to be ready. We have to build and we have to do the right things when an earthquake occurs.
“When hazards threaten – because of your age and your challenges . . . when you can’t hear the news and therefore can’t act . . . they put you in danger,” Lorde pointed out to the elderly folk. (GE)
