POND ISLAND–As the peak of the annual hurricane season sees the stirring up of the Atlantic Ocean, Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin issued a reminder to residents on Friday afternoon to ensure they are fully prepared should a storm/hurricane threaten the country. She also urged all to be vigilant of the weather.
“Early preparation is key and fundamental, so let us be pro-active, let us be prepared and let us establish these objectives as our priority,” said Romeo-Marlin.
She reminded the population of the devastation of Hurricane Luis on September 5, 1995, and 22 years later, Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017.
“As the first week of September is approaching, which seems to be a time when the most powerful hurricanes hit St. Maarten, let us take this time to scale up preparations for the peak of the hurricane season. If history is supposed to be our guide and an instrument that we should learn from, we should avoid making the same mistakes of the past,” said Romeo-Marlin.
The government’s goal is to ensure that “our community is well informed, prepared, protected and safe against the unpredictable elements of nature.”
For hurricane preparation, residents are urged to ensure they have a hurricane and emergency package that includes one gallon per person per day of drinking water and sufficient water for cooking and sanitary purposes to last one week for the household.
Residents are advised to stock up on canned goods and purchase materials to protect property.
“It is month-end now and I would highly recommend that persons purchase some extra hurricane items to ensure that you are able to feed your family in the unfortunate event that we experience a storm,” said Romeo-Marlin.
All medical prescriptions should be filled with a supply for at least one to two weeks.
Property insurance should be reviewed to ensure the policy is based on the current values to prevent the “under-insurance” problem still plaguing residents following Irma a year ago.
“Please have enough cash on hand and put it in a safe location where you won’t spend it, but be able to have it on hand if necessary. Please don’t wait until the last minute, as supermarkets and hardware stores most likely will be sold out,” urged Romeo-Marlin.
Owners of shipping containers parked and/or placed near or on public roads must remove these now and place them in a secure location. “This is an extremely dangerous situation. Containers can block roads and, depending on the strength of the winds, these containers may become airborne and potentially pose a threat to persons in the community.”
Romeo-Marlin said, “We all should take the necessary measures to secure and prevent any debris from being a danger to others and their surroundings. Flying debris, structures that are under construction and/or having wooden frames that are exposed, need to be taken down to prevent these structures from becoming flying objects.”
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/80169-pm-urges-residents-to-be-prepared-and-be-vigilant
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