BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH the Hurricane Season officially underway, Director of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Carl Herbert is to pleading to citizens and resident of St. Kitts and Nevis to take preparedness seriously.
The 2017 season kicked off on June 1 and is expected to run until the end of November, with close to 17 storms expected to hit the region over that period.
Herbert, while addressing reporters yesterday (June 8), explained that his agency has been working with the media to have public announcement messages aired continuously to bring heighten awareness for the season and preparations needed in the event that one of the storms should impact St. Kitts and Nevis.
St. Kitts and Nevis has not been hit by any of the major storms that passed through the Caribbean over the last several years, including Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Matthew.
Despite that being the case, Herbert noted that they have been mobilizing their National and District Committees with regards to preparedness.
“The latest forecast suggests about 11 to 17 named storms, about seven to nine hurricanes of which two to four can be major. We are not asking persons to focus on the numbers because it is just one weather system. Notice I didn’t say hurricane! One weather system can create quite a bit of disruption and damage. So, we are urging persons to do all they can at the personal level, family level and also at the institutional level to undertake preparatory measures.”
Questioned on whether the designated shelters are adequately prepared for the season, Herbert stated that NEMA is awaiting the list from the various committees.
“Very recently I got feedback from the committee that we should soon receive that information. Once that information becomes available, then we would publicize it.”
Reiterating that persons should not just focus on one storm, the NEMA head indicated that because St. Kitts and Nevis is close to the Atlantic, it could be impacted by the general weather system as in the case of Dominica under Erika, and not only by hurricanes.
“If you have noticed in the past few years, several countries, example Dominica, have been impacted by weather systems that generated lots of rain and created a lot of flooding and disruptions. There were even some deaths.
“So, we are saying once a weather system is in our vicinity, pay close attention and do what you need to do to reduce the impact on life and property.”
Asked to comment on last-minute preparedness by persons when a hurricane is in proximity as was evident in recent years, the Disaster Management boss noted that that sadly is the reality of the people in St. Kitts and Nevis.
He however indicated that NEMA is trying as much as possible to discourage last minute preparedness in terms of shopping, but encourages persons to ensure that they have items that are needed and “discipline themselves and have them locked away or stored away so that they do not become part of your everyday usage”.
Meanwhile, he is appealing to those persons in the commercial sector, especially those in the construction field, to ensure that they secure all their heavy equipment and other items that could be projectiles during a storm.
Herbert also called on other business establishments to ensure all items are safely tied so they would not be blown around to cause damage to property or result in death.
