By Orville Williams
The National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) is gearing up for this year’s Atlantic Hurricane Season, as experts – including those at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – are predicting ‘near-normal’ activity through the next couple of months.
The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1 to November 30 each year – a period during which tropical or subtropical cyclones are most likely to form in the North Atlantic Ocean.
This year’s ‘near-normal’ prediction will certainly come as good news for many, including NODS, considering Antigua and Barbuda’s propensity to be impacted by adverse weather systems.
The forecast for last year’s hurricane season was ‘above-average,’ with some scientists estimating there would be at least 19 named storms and nine hurricanes. However, the season ended ‘near-normal,’ with a total of 14 named storms – eight of which became hurricanes and two that turned into intense hurricanes.
NODS Public Relations Officer, Midcie Francis, told Observer that inter-agency engagement is a core component of the body’s preparatory work, which has been ramping up ahead of Thursday’s official start of the hurricane season.
“[We have] been having ongoing meetings with several, what we call, subcommittees [which are] made up of representatives of different agencies and groups.
“Some of the subcommittees have to deal with telecommunications, public utilities and road clearance. There’s also one that deals with the district disaster committee and another one that consists of media houses, which is the public information subcommittee.
“We have been having these meetings in anticipation of the start of the hurricane season [and] during these meetings we discuss issues that affect the agencies in the various subcommittees, so we can find ways of addressing outstanding issues; issues that are really of major concern to communities, the agencies and so forth,” she explained.
Antigua and Barbuda has largely been spared the worst of recent hurricane seasons, with the last ‘big hit’ coming back in 2017 with Hurricane Irma, which struck the sister isle as a category five and virtually decimated the residential and commercial structures there.
That event has had a life-changing impact on the people of Barbuda, their livelihoods and their future, though a two-year-old boy was the only casualty.
One of the biggest aspects of disaster preparedness, particularly during the hurricane season, is the establishment of hurricane shelters, which are meant to support those living in unsafe environs by providing a place of safety and security.
Some of the buildings that were utilised as shelters during last year’s season include the Barbuda Sports Complex, the Cedar Grove Primary School, the Ottos Comprehensive School and the gymnasium at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus.
It is not clear at this point, however, whether these same facilities will form part of this year’s shelter list.
“In terms of the shelters, we have already submitted a proposed list to be inspected by the Ministry of Works. That was submitted in March and we are yet to receive the official list from the Ministry of Works as to those structures that are going to be used for hurricane shelters this year,” Francis disclosed.
On Thursday, the start of this year’s hurricane season, NODS will be hosting an official press conference at its American Road headquarters – scheduled to commence at 10 am – to inform the public about its plans and protocols, and to provide much-needed advice on how to stay safe during the season.
According to Francis, her organisation is again looking forward to proper collaboration in a bid to best ascertain the level of readiness and the needs of the population.
“This year, we want to include a number of our partners. We have not had confirmation yet, but we’re hoping to have someone from the Met Office and also someone from the Antigua and Barbuda Chamber of Commerce…the Chamber consists of private sector businesses and we really want [the body] to join with us. We have invited a representative to speak on how prepared its members are for this year’s hurricane season.
“We’re hoping to really boost collaboration with the private sector and the Antigua and Barbuda Chamber of Commerce is willing to work with us in that regard”, she said.
The NOAA is predicting that there will be 12-17 named storms in total this hurricane season, five to nine of which could become hurricanes, and one to four of which could become major hurricanes.