Alert #11: EYE OF POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE IRMA CLOSING IN ON THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF MAYAGUANA, INAGUA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS CAN AFFECT THE AFFOREMENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.
A HURRICANE WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR AND THE EXUMAS
A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE AFFOREMENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 48 HOURS
A HURRICANE ALERT IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, THE BERRY ISLANDS, BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO.
A HURRICANE ALERT MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 60 HOURS.
AT 11 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.2 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 64.0 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 65 MILES EAST- SOUTHEAST OF ST THOMAS, 544 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, 639 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA AND 982 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.
HURRICANE IRMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST AT ABOUT 16 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CORE OF IRMA WILL MOVE OVER PORTIONS OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS VERY SOON, IRMA WILL THEN PASS NEAR OR JUST NORTH OF PUERTO RICO THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT AND NEAR THE TURKS AND CAICOS AND THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS LATE THURSDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 185 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRMA IS A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO, BUT IRMA IS FORECAST TO REMAIN A POWERFUL CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 50 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 185 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
EVACUTION IS IN PROCESS FOR RESIDENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS NAMELY: INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. RESIDENTS IN LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR AND THE EXUMAS SHOULD RUSH TO COMPLETE ALL HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS AS HURRICANE IRMA WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THESE ISLANDS FRIDAY MORNING. FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS INCLUSIVE OF ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, THE BERRY ISLANDS, BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO RESIDENTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE PREPARATIONS AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO ALL ALERTS ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY.
EXTENSIVE TO SEVERE FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED AS IRMA IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES.
THE COMBINATION OF DANGEROUS STORM SURGE AND LARGE DESTRUCTIVE WAVES CAN RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 15 TO 20 FEET ABOVE THE NORMAL TIDE. RESIDENTS LIVING NEAR THE COAST ARE ASKED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND INLAND.
SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD IMMEDIATELY SEEK SAFE HARBOUR FOR THEIR VESSELS.
Alert #10: EYE OF POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE IRMA PASSES OVER ST MARTIN …NORTHERN EYEWALL POUNDING ANGUILLA
A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF MAYAGUANA, INAGUA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.
A HURRICANE WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR AND THE EXUMAS
A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 48 HOURS
A HURRICANE ALERT IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, THE BERRY ISLANDS, BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO.
A HURRICANE ALERT MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 60 HOURS.
AT 8 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.1 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 63.3 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 25 MILES WEST OF ST MARTIN, 632 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, 694 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA AND 1022 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.
HURRICANE IRMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST AT ABOUT 16 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CORE OF IRMA WILL MOVE OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN VIRGIN ISLANDS TODAY, PASS NEAR OR JUST NORTH OF PUERTO RICO THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT, AND PASS NEAR OR JUST NORTH OF THE COAST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC THURSDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 185 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRMA IS A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO, BUT IRMA IS FORECAST TO REMAIN A POWERFUL CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 50 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
RESIDENTS IN INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD RUSH TO COMPLETE ALL PREPARATION AS HURRICANE IRMA COULD BEGIN TO AFFECT THESE ISLANDS ON THURDDAY AFTERNOON. RESIDENTS IN LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR AND THE EXUMAS SHOULD SERIOUSLY BEGIN PREPARATION FOR THE DANGEROUS HURRICANE WHICH COULD POSIBILY BEGIN TO AFFECT THEM ON FRIDAY MORNING. RESIDENTS IN ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, THE BERRY ISLANDS, BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO SHOULD ALSO BEGIN TO MAKE PREPARATION FOR POSSIBLE AFFECTS FROM HURRICANE IRMA AND CONTINUE TO LISTEN AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO ALL ALERTS ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY.
EXTENSIVE TO SEVERE FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED AS IRMA IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES OVER INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
THE COMBINATION OF A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE AND LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES COULD RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 15 TO 20 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE IN INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. RESIDENTS RESIDING ON THE COAST IN THESE ISLANDS ARE ASKED TO IMMEDIATELY SEEK SAFE SHELTER FURTHER INLAND.
SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD BEGIN TO SEEK SAFE HARBOUR FOR THEIR VESSELS.
Public Notice from the Department of Immigration
The Department of Immigration in the Ministry of Border Control and Employment wishes to advise all persons that, as of 12:00 pm today Tuesday September 5th, a hurricane watch was in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands, indicating that hurricane conditions could affect the country within the next 48 hrs.
The Ministry of Border Control and Employment considers the lives of persons in the TCI, both of legal and illegal status of paramount importance and in light of the threat of possible hurricane conditions, wishes to advise that all Task Force Operations have been suspended and all efforts have been made to ensure that the Detention Center is cleared for the duration of the storm and until an all clear is given by the Department of Disaster Management and Emergency.
The Department of Immigration further advises that all persons, including those of illegal status, without adequate dwelling or in low lying and flood prone areas, should seek shelter without the fear of apprehension and repatriation during the passage of Hurricane Irma, which is potentially a very dangerous storm, to ensure the protection of life and safety.
Persons are further encouraged to monitor the advisories issued by the Department of Disaster Management and Emergency for the latest updates to Hurricane Irma.
DEPRESSION BECOMES TROPICAL STORM KATIA
AT 5:00AM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM KATIA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 22.1° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 96.3° WEST OR ABOUT 105 MILES EAST OF TAMPICO MEXICO.
TROPICAL STORM KATIA IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 2 MPH, AND THE SYSTEM SHOULD GRADUALLY TURN SOUTHEASTWARD DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS AND CONTINUE MOVING IN THIS GENERAL DIRECTION THROUGH THURSDAY. A TURN TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST IS FORECAST ON FRIDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF KATIA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OFFSHORE OF MEXICO THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 40 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
JOSE EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE BY TONIGHT
AT 5:00AM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM JOSE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 12.5° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 42.8° WEST OR ABOUT 1255 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES.
TROPICAL STORM JOSE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST AT 13 MPH. A SLIGHTLY FASTER WEST TO WEST-NORTHWEST MOTION IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT TWO DAYS.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 60 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST, AND JOSE IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE BY TONIGHT.
Alert #9: EYE OF POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE IRMA IS MOVING AWAY FROM BARBUDA AND TOWARD ST MARTIN
A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF MAYAGUANA, INAGUA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.
A HURRICANE WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR AND THE EXUMAS
A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 48 HOURS
A HURRICANE ALERT IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, THE BERRY ISLANDS, BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO.
A HURRICANE ALERT MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 60 HOURS.
AT 6 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 17.9 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 62.6 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 35 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF ST MARTIN, 636 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, 723 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA AND 1070 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.
HURRICANE IRMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST AT ABOUT 16 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CORE OF IRMA WILL MOVE OVER PORTIONS OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS THIS MORNIG, MOVE NEAR OR OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN VIRGIN ISLANDS LATER TODAY, AND PASS NEAR OR JUST NORTH OF PUERTO RICO THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 185 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRMA IS A CATERGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO, BUT IRMA IS FORECAST TO REMAIN A POWERFUL CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 50 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
RESIDENTS IN INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD RUSH TO COMPLETE ALL PREPARATION AS HURRICANE IRMA COULD BEGIN TO AFFECT THESE ISLANDS ON THURDDAY AFTERNOON. RESIDENTS IN LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR AND THE EXUMAS SHOULD SERIOUSLY BEGIN PREPARATION FOR THE DANGEROUS HURRICANE WHICH COULD POSIBILY BEGIN TO AFFECT THEM ON FRIDAY MORNING. RESIDENTS IN ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, THE BERRY ISLANDS, BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO SHOULD ALSO BEGIN TO MAKE PREPARATION FOR POSSIBLE AFFECTS FROM HURRICANE IRMA AND CONTINUE TO LISTEN AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO ALL ALERTS ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY.
EXTENSIVE TO SEVERE FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED AS IRMA IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES OVER INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
THE COMBINATION OF A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE AND LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES COULD RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 15 TO 20 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE IN INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. RESIDENTS RESIDING ON THE COAST IN THESE ISLANDS ARE ASKED TO IMMEDIATELY SEEK SAFE SHELTER FURTHER INLAND.
SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD BEGIN TO SEEK SAFE HARBOUR FOR THEIR VESSELS.
Alert #5: POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE IRMA NEARING THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS
ALERT #5 ON HURRICANE IRMA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY TUESDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER, 2017 AT 6PM EDT.
A HURRICANE WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS WITHIN 48 HOURS.
AT 5PM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 17.1 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 59.8 DEGREES, 821 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
HURRICANE IRMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST AT ABOUT 15 MPH. A TURN TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST IS FORECAST TO BEGIN TONIGHT AND CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CORE OF IRMA WILL MOVE OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY AND PASS NEAR OR JUST NORTH OF PUERTO RICO LATE WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 185 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRMA IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO, BUT IRMA IS FORECAST TO REMAIN A POWERFUL CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 60 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
RESIDENTS IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE PREPARATIONS AS THEY CAN BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE IRMA BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE BAHAMAS ARE ADVISED TO SERIOUSLY BEGIN MAKING PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE IRMA SHOULD THE NEED ARISE.
EXTENSIVE FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED AS IRMA IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE 8 TO 12 INCHES OF RAIN.
STORM SURGE BETWEEN 15 TO 20 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED.
SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD CONTINUE TO SEEK SAFE HARBOUR FOR THEIR.
Potential Tropical Cyclone Ten
AT 5PM EDT, THE DISTURBANCE WAS CENTERED NEAR LATITUDE 32.2°NORTH AND LONGITUDE 79.9° WEST OR ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA AND 185 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA.
THE SYSTEM IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 12 MPH, AND THIS GENERAL MOTION WITH A GRADUAL INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK THE SYSTEM WILL MOVE OVER OR NEAR THE COAST OF SOUTH CAROLINA TONIGHT AND MOVE ALONG THE NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS ON TUESDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 40 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ALTHOUGH THE DISTURBANCE HAS NOT BECOME ANY BETTER ORGANIZED TODAY, THERE IS STILL POTENTIAL FOR THE SYSTEM TO BECOME A TROPICAL STORM DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. AFTER THAT TIME, THE LOW SHOULD BEGIN TO INTENSIFY AS AN EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE. FORMATION CHANCE THROUGH THE NEXT 48 HOURS TO 5 DAYS IS HIGH, AT ABOUT 70 PERCENT.
THIS SYSTEM POSES NO THREAT TO THE BAHAMAS (OR TCI) AT THIS TIME.
Tropical Storm Harvey (Update)
AT 4PM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM HARVEY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.5° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 95.7° WEST OR ABOUT 25 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF PORT OCONNOR TEXAS AND ABOUT 145 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PORT ARTHUR TEXAS.
HARVEY IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST-SOUTHEAST NEAR 3 MILES PER HOUR (MPH), AND A SLOW MOTION TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST IS EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AND A CONTINUED SLOW FORWARD SPEED ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER IS EXPECTED TO BE JUST OFFSHORE OF THE MIDDLE AND UPPER COASTS
OF TEXAS THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT, THEN MOVE INLAND OVER THE NORTHWESTERN GULF COAST ON WEDNESDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 45 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. LITTLE CHANCE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
Investing in nature management is crucial to TCI’s economy - Strengthening nature management in TCI through capacity building and long-term financing
DECR staff and representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Culture and Gaming, and the civil society are meeting in Providenciales with research consultants from Wolfs Company to discuss the preliminary findings of the AGRRA reef assessment conducted in May, and discuss the importance of nature for TCI’s economy and opportunities to increase financing for nature management and monitoring in TCI.
During the meetings, representatives from Wolfs Company presented the key findings from the sustainable finance project conducted in 2015-2016 with the support from the partnerships of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“The meetings provided valuable information to the participants on the importance for nature to TCI’s economy. This will support DECR and other nature management organizations in building a fact-based business case to increase financing for nature management”, said Viviana Luján Gallegos, partner at Wolfs Company. Wolfs Company is a research company on environmental economics based in Bonaire and Amsterdam.
The project estimated that the natural resources of TCI contributed an economic value of USD 45.5 million per year to the tourism industry. This analysis did not quantify other ecosystem services provided by nature, such as coastal protection, fisheries and local recreation. Based on a financial plan that calculated the budget needs for DECR to improve their management of marine protected areas, an incremental investment needed to effectively manage and protect TCI’s natural resources could be covered by, for example, earmarking only 1.8% of the tourism-related revenues (around USD 1.1 million from USD 61.5 million).
“The economy of the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) depends in large part on tourism, and tourism in turn is heavily dependent on TCI’s natural resources – especially its beaches, natural landscapes, clean coastal waterways and vibrant coral reefs. However, there is a large disconnect between the revenues that are generated from, amongst others, tourism and the investment that has been made in the management of the natural capital that underpins these revenues. A relatively small incremental investment in the financing of the organizations responsible for the natural resources of TCI would contribute significantly to improve the management and protection of essential natural capital. DECR would encourage further use of Natural capital valuation by TCIG to further demonstrate the value of nature to TCI’s economy in planning and development strategies for TCI” said Mr. Ethan Griesbach, acting Director of the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR).
The meetings also served to present the preliminary findings and suggestions of the ongoing BEST 2.0 project financed by the BEST 2.0 initiative with funding from the European Commission.
The preliminary results of the assessments conducted during the AGRRA training, held in May in Providenciales, in the framework of this project, show that in the two sites surveyed (one inside and one outside the Princess Alexandra Park) the coral cover has decreased in comparison to the findings of a baseline monitoring survey conducted in TCI in 1999. Other reef health indicators show improvement, which could be attributed to effective conservation policies, like the fishing ban on parrot fish.
To assess whether in general the health of the coral reefs in TCI is declining, a new baseline survey of all the sites assessed in 1999 will need to be conducted. In addition, suggestions were presented for other management and socio-economic indicators that could be applied by DECR to track and report the benefits of more investments in nature management. Finally, discussions were held on suggestions to improve the long-term financing for monitoring and nature management in TCI, including potential sources of revenue and legal mechanisms that will guarantee that these funds will be only used for nature management.
“I am convinced about the importance of our natural resources to the health of our economy. These types of initiatives are important to provide fact-based information to decision makers to support policy that will enhance our capabilities to manage and conserve our valuable natural resources. I will support the consideration by our government of options to achieve this, including mechanisms that could be similar to the Conservation Fund we had in the past” said Honorable Minister Higgs, Minister of Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Culture and Gaming. The Conservation Fund that provided additional financing for nature management organizations in TCI was abolished in 2009.