Are you ready for the 2014 hurricane season?
On the eve of the Atlantic Hurricane Season 2014, the Turks and Caicos Islands Governor urges all residents and organisations to make their final checks immediately.
The Governor (centre), Premier (left) and Deputy Premier (right).
His Excellency, Governor Peter Beckingham said ahead of the Hurricane season which starts on Sunday, 1 June 2014:
Turks and Caicos Islanders have witnessed for themselves the tremendous damage that a hurricane can inflict – and almost all of our inhabited islands have seen these disastrous effects: Grand Turk, South Caicos and Salt Cay still bear the scars of a hurricane in 2008; the vital causeway linking family island’s North and Middle Caicos was practically washed away by the storm surge that deluged that area. I implore every resident and business in the TCI to make sure that they are ready for this year’s Atlantic Hurricane Season.
Please listen to the advice and the warnings issued by our TCI emergency management services. Take the steps necessary to protect yourself, your family and your property from the impact of these storms, whether wind, rain or floods. As I have already said, it takes only a single storm to potentially devastate the lives of our people here in the TCI.
Do not become complacent by forecasters predicting a lower number of hurricanes this year – it only takes one to inflict unbelievable damage. Remember what Hurricane Sandy ended up doing to the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, after first killing people right here in the Caribbean?
So, friends, please pay attention during the TCI Department of Disaster Management’s hurricane publicity campaign which runs over the next few weeks. It will practically demonstrate the importance of community preparedness and resilience in hurricane risk reduction across our homes, communities, schools, government ministries, agencies and departments, and the public and private sectors.
This crucial work follows on from months of planning and preparation by TCI officials with colleagues from across the region, as well as with the men and women of the Royal Navy warships that will be patrolling the region to provide assistance to any of the UK Overseas Territories, which may have the misfortune to be struck by a hurricane.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and incident free Hurricane Season.
The forecast for the Atlantic Hurricane Season 2014 is for between eight to 13 named storms, of which between three to six are predicted to develop into hurricanes.