Antigua and Barbuda asked to brace for Beryl

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This country has been placed on high alert as the second storm, but first hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season, Beryl, is expected to affect the island.
Philmore Mullin, director of the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) said there are a few areas of worry to him as the system approaches.
“There are two things that concern me. The fact that the original indication that the system will diminish, that may not be so, and the fact that it passes very close to us.”
Beryl is expected to reach the Lesser Antilles on Sunday or Monday and residents are being asked to bring their hurricane preparedness plans to a speedy completion.
“People need to take this seriously because we don’t know what will happen between now and Sunday. So, we are asking people to continue to monitor the situation and pay attention to the information coming out of the Met office,” Mullin said.
He added that monitoring will continue, “to see what amount of water the system has with it” and whether persons in flood prone areas would be required to be evacuated.
NODS will be publishing the list of shelters from last year because, according to the director, they are “not satisfied that the new ones are adequately completed”.
“There are several buildings that need to be checked, however we will go ahead and tidy that up and hopefully publish it within a reasonably timeframe, once the checks that are required, are completed,” he said.
Barbuda residents, whose roofs have been fixed, are asked to ensure that their property is equipped with hurricane shutters.
“They too need to especially monitor the information coming out of the Met office and we will be in direct contact with those on the ground,” Mullin said.
He has called on residents to ensure that their emergency supplies are in place, including, non-perishable food such as canned foods, corn flakes, crackers, juices, adequate water for drinking and other purposes, emergency light such as flashlight or lamp, special infant needs, adequate prescription medicine, first aid supplies and personal hygiene items.
Efforts should also be made to secure homes, remove loose items from yards, re-charge cell phones and rechargeable flashlights and put personal papers and other important documents in a waterproof bag or container.

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