A 80% Chance of Tropical Storm Formation
A SPECIAL WEATHER BULLETIN HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY AT 11:00PM EDT FRIDAY 22ND AUGUST, 2014.
A 80% Chance of Tropical Storm Formation in 48 Hours.
As of 8:00 pm EDT/Friday/22/August/2014... An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft investigating the area of disturbed weather near Puerto Rico and Hispaniola reported winds of tropical storm force over the open waters north of those islands. However, the aircraft data and surface observations indicate that the system still lacks a well-defined surface circulation. Another Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system on Saturday morning, if necessary.
Showers and thunderstorms associated with the system are gradually becoming better organized, but the proximity of the system to Hispaniola could limit development tonight. Conditions are expected to become more conducive for development when the disturbance moves near or over the Turks & Caicos Islands and the Southeast Bahamas on Saturday.
Gusty winds and heavy rains are expected across the Turks & Caicos Islands and the Southeast and Central Bahamas tonight and Saturday. These heavy rains will most likely cause extensive flooding in low lying areas.
Residents and interests in the Turks & Caicos Islands and the Southeast and Central Bahamas are advised to begin and to complete storm preparations as soon as possible since Tropical Storm Watches or Warnings could be required with little advance notice.
SPECIAL WEATHER BULLETIN FOR THE TCI & BAHAMAS
A SPECIAL WEATHER BULLETIN HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY AT 4:00PM EDT FRIDAY 22ND AUGUST, 2014.
A UNITED STATES AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT AND SATELLITE DATA INDICATED THAT SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE BETWEEN PUERTO RICO AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HAS INCREASED DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE CONDUCIVE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TROPICAL DEPRESSION OR TROPICAL STORM WHILE NEAR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS OR OVER THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS ON SATURDAY.
HOWEVER, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE SYSTEM BECOMES A TROPICAL CYCLONE, HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, THE SOUTHEAST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW.
THEREFORE, RESIDENTS IN THE TURKS AND THE SOUTHEAST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS SYSTEM VERY CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION AS TROPICAL STORM WATCHES OR WARNINGS COULD BE REQUIRED WITH SHORT NOTICE.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE TCI & BAHAMAS FOR FRIDAY 22ND AUGUST 2014
GENERAL SITUATION: A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE TCI & NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS. ELSEWHERE, ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH A STRONG TROPICAL WAVE WILL BEGIN AFFECTING THE BAHAMAS THIS EVENING.
FOR THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY AND HOT WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OFFSHORE THIS AFTERNOON. MOSTLY FAIR AND WARM TONIGHT
WINDS: NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS, BUT FALLING LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT TIMES ACROSS THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS OVER OPEN WATERS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
FOR THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
WEATER: PARTLY CLOUDY AND BREEZY WITH FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. CLOUDY TO OVERCAST AND WINDY WITH WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT
WINDS: NORTHEASTERLY AT 15 TO 25 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS
SEAS: 5 TO 8 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
BOATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL AREAS
IN THE TCI
DAYTIME HIGH TEMP: 93F 34C OVERNIGHT LOW TEMP: 79F 26C
SUNSET: 7:38PM SUNRISE: 6:47AM SAT
MOONSET: 5:40PM MOONRISE: 5:06AM SAT
HIGH TIDE: 6:48PM LOW TIDE: 1:12AM SAT
HIGH TIDE: 7:04AM SAT
WEATHER OUTLOOK: 11:00AM TROPICAL WAVE POSSIBLE DEPRESSION WILL DOMINATE THE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: RESIDENTS IN THE TCI & SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS ARE BEING ASKED TO CLOSELY MONITOR THE TROPICAL DISTURBANCE APPROACHING THE AREA FOR POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT OVER THE WEEKEND.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR THURSDAY 21ST AUGUST, 2014
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THURSDAY 21ST AUGUST, 2014
GENERAL SITUATION IN TCI: TROPICAL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO SUPPORT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON WHILE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ISLANDS MAINTAINS THE BREEZY CONDITIONS
FOR THE BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND HOT WITH A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON…TURNING WARM AND HUMID TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS ARE EXPECTED IN AND AROUND SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
TCI
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 93°F 34°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE: 78°F 26°C
SUNSET: 07:39 PM MOONSET: 04:58 PM HIGH TIDE: 06:04 PM
SUNRISE: 06:47 AM MOONRISE: 04:16 AM LOW TIDE: 12:30 PM
HIGH TIDE: 06:21 AM FRI.
LOW TIDE: 12:28 PM FRI.
WEATHER OUTLOOK: MOSTLY SUNNY AND HOT CONDITIONS WITH SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH AN ELONGATED AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED ABOUT 350 MILES EAST OT THE LESSER ANTILLES HAS CHANGED LITTLE IN ORGANIZATION. IT HAS A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF DEVELOPMENT DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS AND A 70 PERCENT CHANCE OF DEVELOPMENT DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS
Cabinet advised the Governor to maintain Daylight Savings Time
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the 21st meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday 13th August 2014 at the Office of the Premier, Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales.
All Ministers were present except; Hon. Deputy Premier, Hon. Minister of Health and Hon. Minister of Government Support Services.
At this meeting Cabinet:
• Advised HE. the Governor to approve the Immigration Bill 2014. The Bill will proceed to the House of Assembly in due course;
• Agreed the draft National Honours and Awards Regulations 2014. The draft regulations will be laid before the House of Assembly for approval;
• Cabinet advised HE the Governor to maintain Daylight Savings Time as the standard time of the islands. The decision follows consultation with the public and key stakeholders in the aviation and tourism sectors, which revealed tremendous support for the proposal. This will mean that time in the Islands will not change on November 2, 2014 when the United States of America reverts to Eastern Standard time.
RTC News will have more during our newscast.
Ministry of Education CSEC 2014 Results
The Ministry of Education, Youth Sports and Library Services congratulates all the successful candidates who sat the May/June 2014 CSEC examinations. For this year, a total of 2030 candidates were entered, of which comprised 767 males and 1263 females. Out of that total, 1775 (639 males & 1136 females) sat exams in various disciplines such as Mathematics, English- A&B, Sciences, Food and Home Management, Technical Courses, as well as the Arts, Modern Languages, Business, and Information Technology.
Based on the data, 1356 or 76.39% of the candidates obtained Grades I-III. The national pass rate of 76.39 represents an increase of 3.81 percentage points, when compared to 2013 pass rate of 72.58. The following overall passing grades were obtained as a percentage of the number of persons who sat the examinations:
Grade I=15.21% Grade II=30.54% Grade III=30.65%.
A further break down of the key subjects is as followed:
Mathematics General Proficiency: Of the 212 candidates, 116 or 54.72% obtained passing grades of I-III. Of this figure, 6.6% obtained Grade I, 18.87% Grade II and 29.25% Grade III. When compared to 2013 pass rate of 31.54, this year represents a tremendous increase of 23.18 percent.
English A General Proficiency: Of the 291 candidates, 196 or 67.35% obtained passing grades of I-III. Of this figure, 12.37% obtained Grade I, 23.02% Grade II, and 31.96% Grade III. When compared to 2013 pass rate of 67.21%, there was an increase of 0.14 percent, which in essence remained flat. Table 1, provides a breakdown of the other subjects.
|
Subjects (General Proficiency) |
No. of Students obtaining Grades I-III |
% Passes |
|
Chemistry |
28 |
73.68 |
|
Biology |
44 |
80 |
|
Human & Social Biology |
53 |
66.25 |
|
Caribbean History |
21 |
56.75 |
|
Clothing & Textiles |
24 |
80 |
|
Economics |
2 |
100 |
|
English B |
47 |
75.80 |
|
Food and Nutrition |
79 |
97.53 |
|
French |
7 |
70 |
|
Geography |
16 |
59.25 |
|
Home Economic Management |
59 |
96.72 |
|
Information Technology |
90 |
89.1 |
|
Integrated Science |
73 |
93.58 |
|
Music |
9 |
100 |
|
Office Administration |
44 |
91.66 |
|
Physics |
31 |
83.78 |
|
Principles of Accounts |
29 |
76.31 |
|
Principles of Business |
62 |
95.38 |
|
Religious Education |
19 |
95 |
|
Social Studies |
82 |
59.42 |
|
Spanish |
32 |
71.11 |
|
Technical Drawing |
38 |
86.36 |
|
Visual Arts |
27 |
100 |
|
EDPM |
51 |
91.07 |
|
Physical Education |
24 |
100 |
|
Building Technology (Construction): TVET |
12 |
92.30 |
|
Building Tech (Woods)TVET |
32 |
96.96 |
|
Electrical and Electronics TVET |
9 |
69.23 |
It is important to highlight noteworthy performances in subjects such as Integrated Science, Food and Nutrition, Principle of Business, Building Technology, Technical Drawing, Physical Education, and Integrated Science all with a pass rate of over 90%. Of note also are the high pass rates in the pure Sciences, Chemistry, Biology and Physics with pass rates of over 70%.
The Ministry of Education will conduct a more detailed analysis of the CSEC results for publishing at a later date.
In ensuring that needed resources are provided to strengthen educational outcomes in the Turks and Caicos, the Ministry has committed to the provision of funds for teachers to undertake professional developments in areas of best practices to gauge their professional development this will indeed continue to improve overall performance by our students.
The Ministry also wants to acknowledge all the stakeholders who have played their part in the education of the Nation’s youth and will continue to partner with them to ensure that avenues for cutting edge educational opportunities are provided here in the TCI.
TURKS AND CAICOS STUDENT WINS COTA 2014 ESSAY COMPETITION
Martha Bohlale Rakuoane, a student of the Helena J. Robinson High School, Turks and Caicos Islands, won the US$1,000 first prize of the Caribbean Organization of Tax Administrators (COTA) Essay Competition 2014.
Jessica Ramnauth of Brickdam Secondary School, Guyana, was awarded US$750 for placing second, while Justin-Timothy Frater of Cornwall College, Jamaica, won the US$500 third prize.
The schools which the winners attend will also receive a laptop computer each. The prizes for the competition were jointly provided by COTA and the Caribbean Association of Banks Inc.
The competition was held from April to July 2014. Seventeen students from across the Region entered the competition. They were required to write an essay on the topic `The tax code is a road map for law-abiding citizens and businesses to pay what they legally owe, not an obstacle course to be gamed and gotten around’.
The entries were examined by an independent evaluator selected by the Executive Council of COTA. The Evaluator noted that the essays showed evidence of being well researched with good argumentation and understanding of the distinction between tax evasion and tax avoidance.
As the Community grapples with the challenges of higher demands on a dwindling public purse, it is hoped that today’s teenagers - the potential future taxpayers – will obtain an increasing understanding of their civic duty through COTA’s public education programmes. There is also the expectation that among the youths, an interest could be engendered in the field of tax administration as a career choice.
TCI Financial Service Commission offers Credit Analysis training to TCI FS Providers
The Turks and Caicos Financial Services Commission (TCIFSC) in partnership with Eastern Caribbean Institute of Banking and Financial Services will be hosting a Credit Analysis Workshop on August 20- 21st, 2014 at the Regent Palms in Providenciales.
Banks lenders, Mutual Funds Companies as well as Commission staff from relevant departments will gather for two day training sessions. The interactive sessions will seek to address pertinent issues surrounding effective credit analysis and underwriting practices for Mortgages lending and Contractor Loans.
TCIFSC Managing director, Kevin Higgins, while stressing that the Commission was dedicated to continue providing a learning platform for TCI financial services providers, said: “This workshop is designed to provide credit officers with the rudiments of the theory and practices of sound lending.”
He added: “With the rise of delinquent loans, a workshop providing tools and approaches to address the principle issues of credit risk management and project financing is timely. The FSC welcomes the expertise of the Eastern Caribbean Institute of Banking and Financial Services in this field.”
Patrick Thomas and Louis Parris from the Eastern Caribbean Institute of Banking and Financial Services will facilitate the training sessions. Both Instructors will conduct sessions related to their individual proficiency.
Patrick Thomas has a significant expertise in commercial credit and corporate risk analysis while Louis Parris has specific experience in personal loans and held a major role in setting up and working with the first “Ready Credit” Center for personal lending in the Caribbean.
The sessions will cover a variety of topics such as: personal lending and various types of mortgages, lending guidelines, qualifying a borrower, equity as well as collateral. On day two of the workshop, participants will review commercial real estate lending, risk assessment, security, insurance, debt service and monitoring in depth.
TCIFSC chairman Sir Errol Allen will address participants during the opening ceremony.

The Pine Cay Project and DEMA’s Junior Park Warden Program
The Junior Park Warden (JPW) Summer Program officially launched in 2000, with the central theme of fostering stewardship for the environment in the youth of TCI. Graciously sponsored by the Pine Cay Project, this year was no exception as a total of nineteen participants were given an opportunity to explore and discover pressing environmental issues in The Turks and Caicos Islands.
This year saw a departure from the usual two week program, and instead two, one-week programs were hosted so as to provide more youth with an opportunity to attend. The theme, “Reduce.Re-use.Recycle” uncovered the TCI’s limited natural resources which we share on our islands, and how we can consider the three ‘R’s’ in our every-day lives to ensure a cleaner, greener future for the TCI. In addition, each day introduced students to a variety of sub-themes, such as sustainable tourism, sustainable development, the DEMA’s roles and responsibilities, National Park and Fishing laws and regulations, and potential careers in Environmental Studies / Sciences and the Maritime Industry. Interested students (with strong swimming skills) even participated in a PADI Discover SCUBA Dive (DSD) course, graciously sponsored by Provo Turtle Divers!
Participants enjoyed excursions to Provo’s Landfill and Recycling facilities, a visit to Lignum Vitae Farm where they witnessed Aquaponics (a combination of conventional aquaculture and hydroponics), and snorkeled, swam, and even went sailing! Big Blue Unlimited also spoke to the participants about the effects of pollution on the underwater world.
Ideally, students who graduate from the program will be advocates for the environment and will go on to become environmental leaders in the community, working with DEMA and other agencies to foster environmental sustainability in TCI. After participating in the JPW program, it is hoped that the participants will develop and display environmental stewardship and leadership.