Charlestown, Nevis — Disaster Management chief on Nevis, Mr. Brian Dyer, on Thursday 1st June, reiterated to the people of Nevis, the value and urgency of being vigilant, especially as the hurricane season for 2017, officially commenced today.
He warned the people against complacency and noted that this season has been predicted to be a fairly active one. The season commences on June 1st and concludes on the 30th November.
He indicated that his department is taking a comprehensive approach to disaster management, as the public must be prepared to deal with other emergencies such as storm surges. There may also be other unrelated emergencies such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
According to Mr. Dyer, all of the hurricane shelters have already been designated, along with the key custodian; shelter managers and other key players, in the event of a disaster. The listings for the five parishes are available on the Department’s website at www.ndmd.kn and can also be accessed by mobile app NDMD which is available via Google Play and Apple stores.
Persons can also stay up to date with relevant storm warnings and general advice, as the hurricane season progresses.
Meanwhile, renovative work is currently ongoing at all of the community centers on the island. The work includes placement of hurricane shutters; increasing water storage capacity and installing ramps for persons who are differently abled.
The named storms for the year 2017 are: Arlene; Bret; Cindy; Don; Emily; Franklyn; Gert; Harvey; Irma; Jose; Katia; Lee; Maria; Nate; Ophelia; Philippe; Rina; Sean; Tammy; Vince and Whitney.
Tropical storm Arlene, not sticking to schedule, made an early entrance towards the end of April.