Cedric Peterson of DComm (second right) presents an updated hurricane tracking chart and guide to Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin (centre) with Justice Minister Cornelius de Weever, Finance Minister Perry Geerlings and Education Minister Wycliffe Smith in attendance, at the Government Administration Building.
HARBOUR VIEW--The Department of Communication DComm has enhanced the Hurricane Readiness Guide on government’s website: www.sintmaartengov.org/hurricane. The guide has information for the community to use when preparing for the hurricane season, as well as critical information for during and after a weather event.
The guide tab is “a great communication resource” that will assist residents and visitors about the importance of hurricane preparedness and being more involved and conscious of a storm/hurricane and its possible effects, said Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin in the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday.
She commended DComm for putting together the special website page with its multiple tabs of information on hurricane preparedness as part of its larger communication campaign for the 2019 hurricane season.
The Hurricane Readiness Guide has eight tabs with information covering: Be Prepared, List of Shelters for 2019, Storm Preparations, Staying Safe, Post-Storm Safety, The Checklist, Hurricane Items Maximum Price list of goods, and List of Emergency Numbers.
The public is urged visit the online guide and explore its contents fully. “It is important to be proactive in knowing what one has to do before and after a disaster strikes,” said the prime minister.
The “Disaster Prep Sint Maarten” app is available for download via the guide page. The app has information on Disaster and Risk management, Emergency numbers, Emergency Support Function (ESF) groups and regular updates. Whether it is a hurricane or a fire, the app contains information about how to prepare and what to do during a disaster. The app is currently only accessible to Android users.
A hurricane charting map is also available for download via the site and in the app. This will help with tracking the route of a hurricane and gives information about the government’s disaster management organisational structure.
Hard copies of the tracking chart are available free of charge at the Government Administration Building reception desk, the Labour Affairs Service Desk, and the Public Service Centre Information Desk.
DComm is also working on public service announcements covering hurricane preparedness tips in English, Spanish, and French. The tips will highlight being prepared before a storm/ hurricane, staying safe at various stages as a storm/hurricane approaches, specific advice about what to do to stay safe, being aware of threats, outlining the items of a hurricane supply kit, and other safety tips.
While some English public service announcements have been playing since June, others will begin shortly in the next one to two weeks.
In addition to the announcement, DComm has also completed a new Hurricane Special. This special became available as of noon Wednesday on Facebook.com/sxmgov,
Youtube.com/sxmgov and government’s website. It will also be broadcast on Cable TV Channel 115 at 7:00pm Friday, July 26.
