A review of national emergency management legislation and disaster response systems is to be undertaken as authorities seek to strengthen national preparedness in the wake of recent regional crises, including the powerful earthquakes in Venezuela, Minister of Home Affairs Gregory Nicholls has said.

The experiences gained by emergency personnel deployed overseas would also help shape improvements to the island’s own disaster management systems, he told Barbados TODAY.

Nicholls also revealed that Barbados had already joined the rescue and recovery efforts in Venezuela after a 7.2 magnitude quake, followed seconds later by an even stronger 7.5 magnitude on Wednesday.