Barbados is continuing to strengthen its disaster preparedness efforts as regional officials focus on protecting vulnerable populations from the growing impact of climate-related events.

Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Adrian Forde made the point while addressing participants at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre during a regional dialogue on Adaptive Social Protection and Disaster Response in the Caribbean recently.

Forde highlighted the increasing frequency, severity and cost of natural disasters and other crises, noting that countries across the region have experienced the devastating effects of such events.