Tropical Storm Harvey Leaves Damage in Barbados; Commuters Stranded

Sean Breslin
Published: August 18,2017
Offices have been closed and travel impacted as Tropical Storm Harvey battered Barbados with heavy rain and strong winds Friday, and officials warned residents to stay inside.
In Barbados and other eastern Caribbean countries, regional airline LIAT canceled flights ahead of the storm, the Associated Press reported. Barbados government offices closed early Thursday, and bus routes were suspended, the report added.
"The tropical storm warning has been discontinued but that is not the same as the all-clear. It is two different things," Department of Emergency Management program officer Danielle Skeete told Loop News, a Caribbean news organization. "The removal of the tropical storm warning just simply means that we are no longer under the threat of a storm, however, the emergency services still need to go and do their assessments and make sure that the roadways are clear and that it is safe for persons to go out."
(MORE: Check the Forecast for Tropical Storm Harvey)
Social media images showed minor damage in some areas.
The bus shutdown left commuters stranded in Bridgetown Thursday evening, and some told Barbados Today that they weren't given enough advance warning before the service was suspended.
"The notice came late and we didn’t get a notice from our people in charge," one stranded traveler told Barbados Today. "We got the notice from social media, but when we got word it was about an hour after."
Loop News reported flooding in Speightstown, where the Defense Force was deployed to search for any residents trapped in their homes by the storm. Officials don't believe there are any widespread utility outages, but they won't know for sure until the all-clear is given and crews can get out and assess the situation.
Caribbean Airlines announced it would resume flights between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados late Friday night so passengers on previously canceled flights could get to their destination, according to a separate Loop News report.

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