The 1st of June every year signals the official commencement of the Atlantic Hurricane Season and as we are all well aware, the Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from 1st June through to 30th November. The Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Safety is once again partnering with the Department of Disaster Management & Emergencies (DDME) to remind you that it is in your best interest to be prepared in the event that a Tropical Storm or Hurricane becomes a threat to the Turks and Caicos Islands. If you have not yet begun your preparations, the time to commence is now.
We live in a region that is prone to tropical storms and hurricanes and therefore, despite the economic hardships that we all face, we still have to prepare in an effort to minimise our losses. We cannot afford not to prepare.
The price for not preparing is too high, as our very lives depend on our level of preparedness. The hurricane experts are predicting another above average hurricane
season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted 12 – 18 named storms, 6 to 10 of which could become hurricanes including 3 to 6 major hurricanes. We were fortunate last year that we did not have any major impact from storms or hurricanes but we cannot just depend on luck – WE MUST BE PREPARED.
The recent tornadoes in the United States should serve to remind us that disasters could happen at anytime and anywhere.
The Director of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies will inform you of the specific preparations that have been undertaken
throughout the past year and those that are currently ongoing. The Public Relations Unit of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies recently released a new series of Preparedness Leaflets in three (3) languages – English, Creole & Spanish. These are being distributed throughout the various communities and are also available from your Disaster Office or District Commissioner. Please pickup a copy and use it as a checklist to gauge your own preparedness.
Remember, government cannot help everyone or do everything, so let us be our brother’s keeper during this hurricane season. We need your assistance and we are appealing to you to take action and get prepared now! The life you save may be your very own.
