by DAVID ALLEYNE and TREVOR YEARWOOD

BARBADOS' MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR EduTech programme poses one problem for engineers – no one seems to know the level of hurricane resistance the schools involved in it have.

This complaint was made by prominent engineer, Tony Gibbs, last Tuesday evening, when the Barbados Association of Professional Engineers (BAPE) held a forum on protecting the home against hurricanes, at the Grand Salle of the Central Bank.

The meeting, attended by home-owners and some building experts, heard concerns about building costs, inferior work, building materials, and about enforcement of safety standards. It also triggered many ideas on securing structures as a number of companies took the opportunity to promote hurricane straps and other security fixtures.

Gibbs said "we continue to build new, vulnerable buildings", and raised the issue of the level of resistance incorporated in schools taking part in the big education and technology project EduTech 2000.

"I will tell you that there isn't a single person in the entire world who knows what standards are being used for EduTech 2000 and that's $500 million plus, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank," he said.

"I'm not saying that all the schools are sub-standard. I'm saying that no one knows what standards they are being designed for. They are being designed for a variety of standards by a variety of firms."

The BAPE's president, Roger Blackman, called for a review of the suitability and structural integrity of all hurricane shelters.

BAPE in the past assisted the Central Emergency Relief Organisation (CERO) in carrying out inspections of some shelters.

"Given the time that has passed since our last review, we believe that a comprehensive engineering assessment of the existing shelters should be high on Government's agenda," Blackman told the meeting.

"BAPE stands ready to assist CERO in preparation of the terms of reference for such a study."

Director of CERO, Judy Thomas, said everyone, regardless of economic status, should be aiming to bring their properties up to a certain basic safety standard.

However, she said "ordinary people don't seem able to either afford it, or to recognise their level of vulnerability and want to do something about it".

Architect Mark Hammond said Barbados did not have a system which allowed for "intense inspection" of buildings, and the onus tended to lie on the architect in the area of specification for hurricane resistance.

"Without inspectors, anything goes," he said. ". . . I feel strongly that (inspectors) should be created, and many of them, to administer the standards that we all talk about."

Engineer Grenville Phillips Jr. said one lesson that emerged from Grenada's latest devastation by hurricane was the importance of not only proper construction, but of having good quality building material.

He also underscored the need for adequate mechanisms to ensure contractors, even though using good masons and carpenters and proper materials, did not take shortcuts, compromising the integrity of buildings.

Against a backdrop of complaints of skyrocketing building costs, Gibbs said it was possible to construct low-cost, hurricane-resistant houses, sticking to "the geometric rules".

He said the best roof shape for hurricanes was the hip-roof, "sloping in four directions". The house should have a very short overhang or no overhang, he said.