BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MANY residents and citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis had most certainly breathed sighs of relief this morning (Sept. 9) after an advisory from the local Met Office informed that the twin-island Federation is no longer under a Tropical Storm Watch.
Most, if not all, had made preparations for the impact of Hurricane Jose but, according to the advisory, it was “moving in a North-westerly direction (or generally in a more northerly direction). This slight turn to the north now puts St. Kitts and Nevis out of the range of storm force winds that extends only 60 miles to the southwest”.
On hearing the good news, one Newtown resident lamented: “God has answered our prayers. Though we might not see Him, we can feel His presence and He is in the midst of all of our storms.”
The intent of this writer is not only to inform readership about the discontinuation of the Tropical Storm Watch (Hurricane Jose), but also what was done by members of the Security Forces shortly before, during and immediately after the passage of Hurricane Irma which left a trail of devastation in some Caribbean islands.
On Tuesday (Sept. 5), the Police Force had recalled all of its members who were on leave and were in the Federation, and the same was said about the Defence Force.
The recall was done with the aim of providing security for the nation.
Shortly after the advisory was released, SKNVibes contacted Deputy Commissioner of Police Hilroy Brandy for a comment on the police’s performance over the period in question.
“After hearing that we are no longer on a Tropical Storm Watch and before giving the order to stand down, I held a debriefing session with my officers, including ACP James who is responsible for Operations.
“We thanked them for their loyalty, for them to come out and perform their duty and for putting country before self in security of the nation.”
The Deputy Commissioner declared that he was impressed by the turnout when the High Command had ordered those on vacation to return for duty.
He explained that a plan was hatched and executed by the Police and Defence Forces to prevent criminal elements using the cover of darkness and the weather condition to execute their nefarious activities.
“We, the police, had cordoned off the whole of Basseterre in order to prevent any looting in the event of any business establishment being damaged by the storm, while members of the Defence Force were doing the same within the business community in the rural areas.”
This media house was informed that a hairdressing salon on Victoria Road was broken into and thieves had carted off almost all of the tools used by the owner in plying her trade.
However, when asked about that incident and if there were other break-ins during the passage of Hurricane Irma, Brandy said. “There were reports of a few break-ins but none of them occurred during the storm while we were on both foot and vehicle patrols. They occurred before the storm.”
He also informed that another aspect of the Security Forces’ task was to sound the warning knell of danger to those individuals who reside in low-lying areas.
“Just before the storm arrived, members of the Police Force, armed with public address systems, were out advising people in low-lying areas to leave their homes and seek shelter at higher places, as well as to keep off the streets. This was done in the Basseterre area...Newtown, Irishtown, The Village; and also in Conaree Village and Frigate Bay. Soldiers were doing the same in the rural areas.
“Even when the storm was raging, members of the Security Forces were out providing security to the nation. I even told them to continue performing such duties until the storm would have forced them to seek shelter.”
Deputy Commissioner Brandy further informed that “immediately after we realised that the strong wind and rain had subsided, members of the Security Forces were again out on the streets”.
In a brief discussion on what transpired in other parts of the Caribbean, Brandy offered his condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives and was sympathetic towards the injured and homeless, while expressing disgust in the behaviour of some people in neighbouring St. Maarten.
While there was some preparedness for Irma, a Category 5 Hurricane which is said to have been the Atlantic Ocean’s most deadly storm with 13 people confirmed dead, no one could have predicted the damage it caused in the Leeward Islands.
Irma had flattened Barbuda and left one dead. One media house reported that the island is unlikely to be habitable for some time.
On neighbouring St. Maarten, it was said to be a worst case scenario.
It was reported that in addition to the Princess Juliana International Airport, homes were flattened and tourism, which the island depends on, was torn from its roots.
From video footage that surfaced after the storm, one could have seen individuals engaged in widespread looting, and the Indian merchants who control a large portion of the trade with their Chinese counterparts, were appealing for help on social media from India’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.
It was also reported that looters had targeted a number of hotels, including Simpson Bay Resorts. Some of them had reportedly stormed into the hotel in Pelican, attacked and robbed its guests as well as staff members.
According to The Daily Herald, one tourist told said that a group of men overpowered security and staff and made their way to the guest’s rooms and relieved them of their jewellery and money.
“They even punched and kicked another tourist for trying to stop them from looting,” the media house quoted the tourist as saying.
However, it was also reported that military personnel had arrested five men and the area was cleared by police and coastguard officials.
As one Newtown resident puts it: “Kudos to SKN finest. I saw them from my home late into Tuesday night and early into Wednesday morning patrolling the streets in Newtown. I haven’t heard of any crime committed in my community. They have kept us safe from the criminals and we all should commend them for doing an excellent job.”
