PHILIPSBURG--Boat owners are being advised by the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) to review their hurricane preparatory plans, so they can be ready to take action in the event of a storm/hurricane threat to the country during the upcoming peak months of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season.
The 2018 hurricane season has already seen four systems form. The Office of Disaster Management advises mariners to ask themselves how they have prepared themselves for the hurricane season.
ODM requests that mariners make special preparations to stay with friends or in a hotel and not to remain on their vessel during the passing of a hurricane while moored in Simpson Bay Lagoon or Oyster Pond.
Considerations to remain in port during hurricane passage must include an evaluation of the amount of protection afforded by the port. The direction from which the strongest winds are forecast to blow, along with the potential for storm surge, must be factored in when deciding whether to seek haven pier-side or at anchorage.
ODM calls on the marine community and service providers who have a direct relationship with mariners to also remind their clients about seeking safe shelter/mooring in the event of a storm/hurricane strike upon the country.
