BRADES – Her Excellency the Governor Elizabeth Carriere said late Friday that the island has learned lessons from the passage of the recent storms.
The following is her statement:
“Today, on this beautiful Island, we woke up knowing that Tropical Storm Erika has moved on beyond Montserrat and is now passing over Puerto Rico. The feeling for many of us is relief that Montserrat has not suffered substantial damage from the storm, which was lighter than expected, and left us with welcome moisture. But we also woke up knowing that our neighbours in Dominica had not been so fortunate: devastation and loss of life occurred when the storm veered to the south and deposited almost 9 inches of rain, accompanied by heavy winds. Many of us have seen images and heard reports of the tragic aftermath of the storm there. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected. I understand that the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), through its Regional Response Mechanism, is co-ordinating the regional recovery effort, in which Montserrat is likely to have a role.
“I wanted to take a moment to reflect on both Danny and Erika and the lessons we have all learned in the last ten days.
First, I want to thank and pay tribute to all those in the emergency and response agencies, and many others, who prepared for and responded so well to both Danny and Erika. Without their work we would not be in the good position that we are now. And it is their high level of dedication and co-operation that will help us continue to ensure that Montserrat is well prepared and ready to respond to whatever other events this hurricane season brings our way. But it is also up to each one of you to prepare and maintain your own readiness, and to follow the advice of officials on how and when to do that. We must maintain and improve our preparedness, listen for official warnings and information, and watch out and care for those who are vulnerable and less able to respond.
“We have all learned important lessons from the first storms of this hurricane season, such as: you can never be too prepared; and that even a tropical storm can be deadly. There are some issues that we need to address immediately in case we are impacted by further storms this season. There is also longer term work to do to make sure that Montserrat’s infrastructure is more resilient to weather events and other hazards in the future.
“We have a long way to go before the season is over, but we have made a good and effective start in our efforts to keep Montserrat safe.”
