POND ISLAND--“Be prepared and remember, it only takes one storm to be devastating, as Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017, proved,” is the message to residents and businesses from Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin as the annual Atlantic hurricane season commences today, Friday. The season runs until November 30.
Romeo-Marlin said the community “can expect to see and regular and consistent communication” throughout the hurricane season as part of the communication plan of the Department of Communication DComm.
“Everyone in every household needs to know how to be storm-ready. Every business owner/manager should also have an exercise for their employees about being storm-ready, and the month of June is a good time to do so,” Romeo-Marlin said in her hurricane season message to the country. “Every household and business organisation needs to review their hurricane disaster preparedness plans today.
“It’s been nine months since Hurricane Irma and our country is still recovering from the devastation that was caused. Together, much has been accomplished by Government, the business sector and individuals, but so much more is still left to be done.”
The hurricane season “without a doubt already has members of our communities nervous, because many homes and businesses that sustained damage from the hurricanes of September 2017 may not be finalised with their repairs. To you I say, ‘keep the rebuilding efforts going and if any severe weather is approaching, please take the necessary precautions as advised for construction sites.’
“As a community we need to take every precautionary measure to minimise the impact of damage and destruction that storms or hurricanes wreak.”
There are several non-governmental and governmental programmes underway for home/roof repairs of seniors and other vulnerable groups within the communities. “We are all working with the same goals in mind – to complete these works before the peak of the season,” she pointed out.
Each Emergency Support Function (ESF) Group in the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is busy amending its Disaster Plan to reflect a new approach based on lessons learnt from the experience of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
“A very important part of this process is for the key external stakeholders in our community – for example, NGOs [non-governmental organisations – Ed.] and Community Councils, to have their own plans in place and ready to be implemented when the time comes,” said Romeo-Marlin.
The Meteorological Department St. Maarten (MDS) said in its hurricane season advice issued on Thursday: “As we begin yet another hurricane season let us learn from our past experience of Hurricane Irma and do all in our power to prepare adequately and to seek credible information in order to make timely decisions that will protect life and property.”
MDS said it will monitor the development of all tropical systems closely and will issue watches or warnings when it becomes necessary using radio, newspaper, its website and Facebook page.
The Office of Disaster Management (ODM) advises residents to make timely preparations and to have plans in place before August 1 when the season peaks (mid-August to mid-October).
Those whose houses are not yet storm-/hurricane-ready should make alternative arrangements to stay with family, friends or make other housing arrangements, said ODM.
Government has not yet issued a list of this year’s approved hurricane shelters. The regular shelters and other potential locations for shelters are still under assessment by government. Funding from the World Bank-administered Dutch Recovery Trust Fund will be used in repairing and equipping the shelters.
Use quiet time wisely
ODM called on residents and businesses to use the quiet period of the season to trim tree branches around their property, cut all dead or weak branches on any trees on property, clean up yard and put away items that could become projectiles in the passing of a hurricane.
“It is very important to start preparing early, and one of the first things that you need is a Disaster Supply Kit (DSK),” said ODM. The kit should have supplies for up to five days after a storm has passed the island. It should contain non-perishable food, water and medicine (fill prescriptions before the storm), non-electric can opener, first-aid kit, extra cash (ATM machines and credit cards will not work if there is no electricity), battery-powered radio and flashlights, and extra batteries.
Charge mobile phones prior to the arrival of the hurricane, fill up car/truck with gas, check if home and automobile insurance are up to date, put ID cards, passports and driver’s licence in a waterproof bag along with other important documents.
If you are a parent with an infant or young children, have all their essentials as part of the kit such as baby formula, diapers, bottles, powdered milk, medications, moist towels and diaper rash ointment.
No water before storm
It is very important for residents to take note that water and electricity company GEBE announced in early April that it will disconnect water supply to households at least 24 hours before a major storm in the future, with sufficient advance notice to consumers.
This is to prevent a situation such as occurred before Hurricane Irma in September last year, when the company’s water tanks ran low on water supply as consumers scrambled to fill up water in advance of the hurricane, increasing the chances of damage to the tanks. Tanks that are not full have increased chances of being badly damaged during a major storm.
Seven of the 15 water tanks around the country were damaged during the ferocious September 2017 storm and it will cost GEBE more than US $7 million to repair them. Not all of the tanks were covered by insurance, only some of the newer ones were covered.
Above normal
The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a 75-per-cent chance that the hurricane season will be near- or above-normal.
They also predict a 35-per-cent chance of an above-normal season, a 40-per-cent chance of a near-normal season, and a 25-per-cent chance of a below-normal season for the upcoming hurricane season,
NOAA’s forecasters say there is a 70-per-cent likelihood of 10-16 named storms (winds of 39 miles per hour (mph) or higher), of which five to nine could become hurricanes (winds of 74mph or higher), including one to four major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111mph or higher).
Colorado State University meteorologists forecast in April an above-average Atlantic hurricane season with the U.S. Gulf and East coasts facing nearly equal chances of being struck by a major hurricane packing winds over 111 miles per hour (178 km per hour).
An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, three of them major. Last year, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast, Florida, Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean islands respectively.
Both the AccuWeather and Colorado State forecasts point to a weakening La Niña pattern in the Pacific Ocean. La Niña is the name for a pattern of cold ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.
The two forecasts do not expect an El Niño pattern will form if the La Niña ends. El Niño is the name for a pattern of warm ocean temperatures in the central Pacific, which produces high winds across the southern United States, often breaking apart tropical storms.
Names
While the annual season officially opened today, Sub-Tropical Storm Alberto already made landfall in the Florida panhandle on Monday.
Remaining storm names for the season are Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Michael, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sara, Tony, Valerie and William.
