NODS prepares for the hurricane season

The National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) has begun preparing for the upcoming hurricane season, with particular focus on the removal of landfill debris.
“There is a concern about the amount of debris that is sitting in the landfill that can become flying missiles. That is a matter that I will discuss with my superior tomorrow,” said NODS director, Philmore Mullin.
He was speaking about the situation in Barbuda. He said it is expected that the dangerous materials can be removed within a month, but added that this may not be a realistic timeframe.
“There are two shelters that will be utilised during the hurricane season. There is also a third one that we are looking at. These should be adequate for those that are now in Barbuda,” Mullin stated.
The director is optimistic about the country’s preparedness, adding that, “Antigua and Barbuda has a history of building back better. Going back to 1995, none of the houses that we rebuilt have been damaged by hurricanes since.”
Mullin said that those individuals whose homes have not been completed in keeping with the enforcement of standards that applied in the rebuilding process, would be able to obtain adequate shelter in an upcoming emergency.
“There are still some other concerns. There are a number of persons still living in tents, but once a warning is issued for a hurricane they will have to move to one of the shelters,” he said.
The director informed that all the homes that are now being rebuilt follow the established standard.
He stated that NODS releases information regularly to the public and once a warning is issued by the MET (meteorological) office people are notified by text messages and other means.
 “The aim is to try to reach everybody. We try to reach as many persons as we possibly can,” Mullin noted.
The director assured that the agency will continue to utilise the media houses by sending them information regularly.