Director General of the Barbados Red Cross Danielle Toppin wants more resources dedicated to helping at-risk families prepare for natural disasters.Speaking to Barbados TODAY recently as her organisation fine-tuned preparations for the start of the 2023 hurricane season, she pointed out that some families cannot afford to buy the necessary supplies.“The reality is not every family is in the position to stock up for the whole season. There is an assumption that people can always afford that and many families cannot. I think that is something we should be looking at and not just the messaging about making sure you have sufficient water, making sure you have sufficient supplies, but also what is going to be put in place for the families who cannot afford that,” Toppin said.She noted that given the high levels of devastation seen here and in other parts of the region from Hurricane Elsa and other storms over the last few years, Barbadians have demonstrated “a heightened awareness”.However, she added: “I don’t think that has as yet translated into heightened preparations.”
