The National Disaster Preparedness Response Advisory Committee (NDPRAC) met on Monday to discuss Montserrat’s preparedness for Hurricane Isaac, which is expected to approach the Lesser Antilles late Wednesday into Thursday morning.
According to a statement from the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA), “based on the storm’s current progression, a decision will be made on the operation and shuttering of all government buildings and schools on Tuesday September 11th, 2018.
“Air and sea access to and from Montserrat may be interrupted from Wednesday. Therefore, we would like to advise anyone with travel plans or expecting visitors to please review their itineraries noting the possibility of disruption or suspension of services. Further details will follow after the next meeting of the NDPRAC, scheduled for Tuesday September 11th, 2018 at 11:30 am.”
The DMCA urges residents and visitors to review their hurricane plans, continue with their preparations and to monitor official weather reports.
At 500 PM AST (2100 UTC), the center of Hurricane Isaac was located near latitude 14.4 North, longitude 45.0 West. Isaac is moving toward the west near 14 mph (22 km/h). A westward motion with a slight increase in forward speed is expected through the end of the week. On the forecast track, Isaac should move across the Lesser Antilles and into the eastern Caribbean Sea on Thursday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 75 mph (120 km/h) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is expected over the next day or two. Weakening is forecast to begin by the middle of the week as Isaac approaches the Lesser Antilles.
Isaac is a small hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles (20 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km).
The estimated minimum central pressure is 993 mb (29.33 inches).
