MARIGOT--Multiple Gendarmerie check-points and an emergency radio frequency to inform the population are among new measures put in place to prepare for any major hurricane strike this year.
President Daniel Gibbs and Préfète Déléguée Anne Laubies convened the press to discuss the measures implemented. The press conference included the input from weather expert Thierry Jimonet via a video feed from Météo-France based in Guadeloupe. He gave a forecast of what to expect for the 2018 hurricane season as well as an analysis of the 2017 season and a reminder of the colour-coded warning system.
Experts expect 2018 to have 10 to 14 named storms of which four to seven will turn into hurricanes. Two to three of them will develop into major hurricanes, he said.
President Gibbs opened the press conference with a positive assessment of the clean-up campaign started on May 10, but reminded the population they also have to do their part to clean up and prepare themselves for any eventual hurricane.
Lt. Col Sébastien Manzoni explained that immediately after the passage of Irma in 2017 there were so many cars on the roads with people checking on loved ones and neighbours or simply sightseeing, that this severely impacted access for Gendarmes, ambulance or fire trucks and other emergency vehicles to get to injured persons or to unblock roads.
This year if there is a major hurricane, six Gendarmerie control check-points will be installed around the French side immediately after the hurricane passes to reduce traffic on the roads.
No one will be able to pass through these check points without authorized passes. The check points will be manned by Gendarmes, Territorial Police and Police aux Frontières (PAF). “It will help to reduce looting and allow emergency services to do their jobs unrestricted,” Manzoni said.
He said it was too early to talk about reinforcements as that depends on the severity of the hurricane and the situation at hand, but indicated some reinforcements would be needed for special tasks.
“I’m more comfortable with having Gendarme reinforcements on stand-by in Guadeloupe ready to come over at a moment’s notice,” he added. “They will be fresh and ready to work, without the trauma of being in the hurricane or getting injured, and thanks to the debriefing after Irma we will have some crisis management and communication people on the island before the hurricane hits to prepare and organise for the arrival of those reinforcements.”
The check points will be located in the following sectors: Cul de Sac/Anse Marcel; Orient Bay/French Quarter/Oyster Pond; Grand Case; Marigot; La Savane, and Lowlands/Baie Nettle/Sandy Ground.
On the question of passes Préfète Laubies said she intends to discuss with the Dutch side the possibility of having passes that can access either side as well as other hurricane cooperation matters.
Director of the Sustainable Development Department Romain Perrau gave a report on the clean-up campaign. The cleaning of the five major ravines on the French side is in progress. Other smaller ravines have to be cleaned near the Grand Case airport and in Marigot.
Some 5,000 abandoned car wrecks were identified after Irma. To date 1,784 have been taken to the landfill in Grand Cayes to the special recycling facility there to be processed. 814 have already been de-polluted and remaining parts ready to be shipped off island.
Director of the Natural Risks Prevention Department Charlotte Terrac said nine hurricane shelters will be available this year. Their capacity has been tripled to accommodate 1,700 persons. Seven of them are located in the schools and all have undergone repairs and reinforcement.
An explanation of the new SMS alert system was given and how to subscribe to receive warning messages. This system complements the already existing means of communication on Facebook, Twitter and the websites of the Préfecture and Collectivité.
It was announced that an emergency radio frequency will be activated in case of a major event and power failure to all networks which was the case after Irma. No radio stations on the French side were able to broadcast immediately after Irma. La Voix de Saint Martin came back on air one week later.
The frequency is 91.1FM from France Inter and it will be accessed and operated by hardware installed in the operations centre. It was understood that the France Inter programming will be taken off and programming for St. Martin substituted. However, local broadcasters or reporters will be needed to manage it and relay the important information to the public. The advantage is that no physical premises are needed.
The question arose again of whether a press room would be available for reporters close to the operations command centre. Préfète Laubies said this is still under study and might take the form of what is already set up for the press during elections.
