BASSETERRE. St. Kitts - WITH St. Kitts and Nevis remaining under a Hurricane Warning, Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew is urging citizens and residents to be prepared as the impending storm could heavily impact the territory.
Hurricane Tammy, which is the 20th named storm of the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season, was packing winds of 75 miles per hour and is expected to strengthen in the coming days dumping as much as 12 inches of rainfall before passing the Leeward Island chain.
All government offices and schools were shut by midday yesterday (Oct. 20) in preparation form the storm, while the Government has urged the private sector to do the same.
In his address last evening, Dr. Drew emphasized that the long preached hurricane preparedness plan should be put into action at this time.
With the large amounts of rainfall predicted, PM Drew cautioned of flash flooding and urged those who live in flood-prone and low lying areas to be prepared to move to higher grounds.
According to Dr. Drew, in the area of disaster, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Nevis Disaster Management Agency and the St. Kitts Met Office are coordinating disaster response.
“Your Government, together with numerous agencies and organizations, has worked tirelessly to ensure that we are ready to protect the people of our beloved Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. We are ready,” Dr. Drew said in his national address.
The Federation is currently under a 36-hour Hurricane Watch and citizens and residents are being urged to bunder down and stay alert.
Hurricane Tammy could develop into a strong storm, and it is for that reason everyone is being asked to stay safe.
The Prime Minister reiterated that the safety of all is his Government’s priority, noting that the National Emergency Operations Center would have been activated last evening (Oct. 20) to be the nerve of emergency operations for the disaster response coordination.
Emergency shelters have been activated for those persons who are challenged with housing.
