ACTIVE ALERTHURRICANE SEASON ACTIVE
DEM Barbados crest

DEM BARBADOS

Dept. of Emergency Management

Emergency Information

Shelters, tracking & policies.

Know your nearest Category 1 shelter, follow official hurricane tracking sources, and review the policies that govern Barbados' emergency response.

01

BEFORE

Build your kit, agree a family plan, identify your nearest shelter, and secure your home.

02

DURING

Stay indoors, monitor official channels, follow evacuation orders, and remain calm.

03

AFTER

Wait for the all-clear, check on neighbours, avoid downed lines and flood water, and report damage.

Category 1 Shelters · 2026

EMERGENCY SHELTERS

An Emergency Shelter is a facility set up to provide temporary housing for persons unable to continue their living arrangement in separate family units.

In Barbados shelters are listed in two categories. A Category 1 Shelter may be used during a hurricane or other hazard event, while Category 2 Shelters may be used if they are still in a reasonable condition after a hazard event or disaster.

The Category 1 Shelters currently in use until the next event are listed below.

Shelters
31
Parishes
11
Wheelchair Access
23
Download Shelter List PDF
Department of Emergency Management Barbados — Emergency Shelters 2026 cover, featuring photographs of designated Category 1 shelter buildings including St. Bartholomew Primary School and Princess Margaret.

Christ Church

5 shelters
  • Blackman and Gollop Primary School Access
  • Christ Church Foundation School Access
  • Dunamis Outreach Ministries of the Wesleyan Holiness Church Access
  • St. Christopher Primary School Access
  • Gordon Walters Primary

St. Thomas

2 shelters
  • The Lester Vaughn School Access
  • Hillaby/Turners Hall Access

St. Andrew

1 shelter
  • Hillaby Seventh Day Adventist Church Access

St. James

3 shelters
  • Gordon Greenidge Primary Access
  • Queens College Access
  • The Church of God Orange Hill

St. Philip

4 shelters
  • Ruby Nazarene Church Access
  • Six Roads Seventh Day Adventist Church
  • Six Roads Church of Christ
  • Hilda Skeene Primary School Access

St. John

1 shelter
  • The Lodge School Access

St. Joseph

1 shelter
  • Tamarind Hall Library / Eric Holder Municipal Complex Access

St. Michael

8 shelters
  • Black Rock Seventh Day Adventist Church Access
  • Combermere School
  • Dalkeith Methodist Church Access
  • St. Barnabas Day Care Centre
  • Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre Access
  • Harrison College
  • The University of the West Indies Access
  • Faith Wesleyan Holiness Church

St. Lucy

2 shelters
  • Connell Town Pentecostal House of Prayer Access
  • The William Donald George Parish Centre (St. Lucy Parish Church) Access

St. George

2 shelters
  • Cuthbert Moore Primary Access
  • Ellerton Wesleyan Holiness Church Access

St. Peter

2 shelters
  • Roland Edwards Primary School Access
  • Coleridge and Parry School Access

Indicates wheelchair-accessible shelter.

Track Hurricanes

OFFICIAL TRACKING SOURCES

During an active system, rely on these official sources for storm position, intensity and forecast tracks. Ignore unofficial social-media forecasts.

National Hurricane Center (NHC)

Official forecasts, cones of uncertainty, and advisories for the Atlantic basin.

Visit site

Barbados Meteorological Services

Local watches, warnings and marine forecasts issued for Barbados and its EEZ.

Visit site

Caribbean Hurricane Network

Regional storm tracking and community reports across the Eastern Caribbean.

Visit site

Policies & Legislation

GOVERNING FRAMEWORKS

Emergency Management Act

The primary legislation governing disaster management in Barbados.

National Disaster Plan

Framework describing roles, responsibilities and coordination mechanisms.

MHEWS Policy 2024

Multi-Hazard Early Warning System policy for integrated alerting.

Systematic Shutdown Policy

Protocol for the orderly shutdown of national services during a major hazard.

EMERGENCY HOTLINES

  • Police211
  • Fire / Ambulance311 / 511
  • DEM Operations(246) 438-7575