BRADES – A crisis group comprising the Governor, premier and other senior public servants has been established to coordinate Montserrat’s preparedness for the impending storm identified as Danny.
The group was established following a meeting of Montserrat’s National Disaster Preparedness and Response Advisory Committee (NDPRAC) on Wednesday August 18, 2015 to discuss preparations for Tropical Storm Danny which formed in the Atlantic on Tuesday. The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. the Governor Elizabeth Carriere and the Honourable Premier Donaldson Romeo.
The current forecast indicates that Tropical Storm Danny will pass close to or over Montserrat and the Leeward Islands on the morning of Monday 24 August 2015 as a Category 1 or Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of approximately 100 miles per hour.
The Governor and Premier impressed upon all committee members the need to implement hurricane and business continuity plans now and to ensure that these were cascaded through ministries to departments and agencies under their supervision. It was particularly important that business continuity arrangements were at the forefront of government plans and that all staff had adequate time to make domestic preparations for the storm.
The meeting was also briefed on UK Government preparedness. This included the readiness to respond of RFA Lyme Bay, which visited Montserrat last week. A decision on whether to request this assistance will be taken based on an assessment on Friday of the trajectory and potential impact of the storm.
NDPRAC will meet again on (Friday 21 August 2015) to again assess preparedness. In the meantime, a smaller crisis group comprising the Governor, Premier, Deputy Governor, Permanent Secretary to the Premier, Director of DMCA and the Governor’s UK Policy Adviser are meeting daily to maintain overall co-ordination.
Residents should continue to make preparations which should include assessment of their properties and businesses. Some practical things to consider are preparation for vulnerable persons, medical supplies, storing foods with long shelf life, adequate battery supplies, drinking water and dry clothes. Residents should secure important documents such as passports, insurance certificates, education qualification and such like.
Anyone wishing to travel over the weekend should contact airlines and ferry company to check timetable, seat availability and operation plan.
Further announcements will be made in the coming days on the preparations. The Official source of storm tracking information and data is the Antigua Meteorological Services via the John A Osborne Airport. Residents should continue to listen to Radio Montserrat for official information and updates, and can call DMCA on 491 7166 or e-mail at dmca@gov.ms.
