Today marks the beginning of the Atlantic Hurricane Season which is predicted to be once again above average. We at the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) would like to remind the public that regardless of any predictions, it only takes one major storm to significantly impact the lives of the people who reside in these Turks and Caicos Islands.
We would like to also remind residents of the very near misses of the 2010 hurricane season where Hurricane Earl – a Category 4 Hurricane – passed to the east of Grand Turk and Hurricane Tomas a Category 1 passed directly over East Caicos. In these cases we are talking about a matter of miles between the inclement weather experienced and Tropical Storm to Hurricane force winds.
We would like to encourage persons who may have not done so thus far to begin all preparations for the Hurricane Season in earnest; to ensure that minor repairs to homes and businesses are done, and that your insurance policies are current and include flood damage. Persons with vehicles are also asked to check their insurance policy to confirm whether it covers hurricanes and floods or whether there is an additional charge. It is also desirable to commence plans for purchasing or repairing hurricane shutters; the key being taking personal responsibility for your safety. This in turn will produce a more prepared TCI.
