Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands, April 29th, 2016 (DDME) - June 1st marks the beginning of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season, however the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) will be observing Hurricane Preparedness Month beginning Sunday 1st May – 31st May, 2016 under the theme, “Preparing Make Sense….There is No Reason Not to Prepare. The Tropical Meteorology Project at the Colorado University is predicting the 2016 Hurricane Season to be an average one with (12) named storms, (5) of which will develop into hurricanes with two (2) developing into a major hurricane. In light of the predictions for the upcoming hurricane season, DDME would like to encourage residents to begin preparations early.
Residents are reminded that on January 7th, Alex was the first named storm of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season; which originated as an extratropical cyclone near the Bahamas and eventually made landfall in the Azores. It was the first hurricane since Alice in 1955 to form in the month of January. Prior to Alice, there was an unnamed storm in 1938.
DDME, cannot over emphasize the importance of early preparation as Hurricane Awareness and Readiness can help to reduce the impact of hurricane on our lives, communities and businesses. In fact, research has shown that families, individuals, and businesses, who know their vulnerability and who have taken concrete steps to prepare for an event are more likely to increase their chances of surviving than those who are not prepared.
According to Dr. Virginia Clerveaux, Director of DDME “the best time to prepare for an event is well before something happens. With the beginning of the hurricane season, DDME would like to encourage all residents and businesses to review their preparedness plan if one exist and for those who do not have a disaster or business continuity plan to draft one or contact DDME for assistance in drafting one. Having a plan is key to determining how quickly your business will recover after an event or how your family will survive”.
Several activities have been planned to mark the month, which will begin with a National Church Service at the Bethany Baptist Church, Blue Hills, Providenciales, on May 1st , 2016 at 11:00am.
Other activities of HPM 2016 are as follows:
- Launch of Hurricane Preparedness Month 2nd May 2016 – Grand Turk
- Stakeholder meeting in All islands
- Community Outreach Programs
- Primary School Art Competition
- Disaster Preparedness Press Conference
- Newspaper Supplements
- Publication of DDME Quarterly Newsletter
- Hurricane Culinary Competition – Community College, Providenciales Campus
The following names will be used for the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season:
- Alex: January 14th, 2016
- Bonnie
- Collin
- Danielle
- Earl
- Fiona
- Gaston
- Hermine
- Ian
- Julia
- Karl
- Lisa
- Matthew
- Nicole
- Otto
- Paula
- Richard
- Shary
- Tobias
- Virginie
- Walter
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For further information please contact:
Andrea Been
Email Address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Telephone #: 649 338 3672
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Skype: ddmegt