Begins on Saturday, June 1
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE message of preparedness cannot be preached too often and its refrain is being echoed yet again on the brink of the commencement of the 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
Come Saturday (June 1), the season officially begins and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted that the season’s activities would be above-average.
The NOAA explained that there is a 70 percent chance that – of the 20 named storms – 13 would pack winds of 39 miles per hour (mph) or more, and between seven and 11 of them are expected to pack winds of 74 mph or more.
The NOAA further indicated that between three and six of them would develop into either category three, four and five storms.
St. Kitts’ National Disaster Coordinator Carl Herbert, who is attached to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), issued an appeal to individuals, families and institutions to ensure that their level of preparedness is where it should be.
“In light of the predicted active season, we are calling on residents to be as prepared as possible and we are urging ongoing preparedness at the individual, family and institutional level.We are asking individuals and families to look at their properties, check all shutters to ensure that they are in good order, check to see if there is any debris, pieces of metal and board items that can fly during a hurricane, please dispose of them carefully.
“Also we are urging persons to have non-perishable food items such as tinned foods, crackers and biscuits. If there are persons who use medication, try and get extra medication just in case and have water storage containers on hand. At the institutional level, we are particularly concerned about persons who have construction sites and vehicle repair establishment to ensure that they have some simple but clear procedures of what they would do in the event of a threat and there is need to secure items that can fly and cause harm to limb and life.”
Herbert said there needs to be an “ongoing state of preparedness” for the six-month duration of the season (June-November) and the public is asked to pay attention to the media through which NEMA would publish updates about the storm-related activity.
Also in keeping with the preparedness theme, a list of the different hurricane shelters which are scattered across the island would be published shortly, Herbert informed.
During the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season, a total of 19 storms were formed; nine tropical storms, five Category One hurricanes, three Category Two hurricanes, and two Category Three hurricanes.
The most-devastating of the lot was super storm Sandy which, after wuthering across some parts of the Caribbean, moved along to batter the eastern coast of the United States of America killing 147 in the process and causing an estimated $50B in damages.
