NEMA prepares The Bahamas for Hurricane Joaquin
NASSAU, The Bahamas – The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) officially partially activated the National Emergency Operations Centre as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday to track and monitor the projected path of Tropical Storm Joaquin, a storm that is forecasted to become a hurricane.
Director of NEMA Captain Stephen Russell said that the Operations Centre will remain activated until the system moves away from The Bahamas and could be fully activated upon advice from the Department of Meteorology on the status and location of the hurricane.
The Department of Meteorology said that a Hurricane Warning is now in effect for the Central Bahamas which includes the islands of Long Island, Exuma and its cays, Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador.
A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions could affect the mentioned islands within 36 hours.
A hurricane watch is also in effect for the Northwest Bahamas which includes the islands of Eleuthera, The Abacos, New Providence, Andros, the Berry Islands, Bimini and Grand Bahama.
A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions can possibly be experienced in those islands within the next 36 to 48 hours.
According to the Department of Meteorology, at 8 a.m., EDT, the center of Hurricane Joaquin was located near latitude 24.9 degrees north and longitude 72.2 degrees west or about 137 miles east-northeast of San Salvador or about 221 miles east of Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, and about 282 miles east of New Providence.
Hurricane Joaquin is moving toward the southwest near six miles per hour. A general motion toward the west-southwest or southwest is expected to continue through tonight. A turn toward the west and a decrease in forward speed are forecast on Thursday. On the forecast track the centre of Joaquin is expected to move near or over portions of the central Bahamas tonight and Thursday.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75 miles per hour with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the centre. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 125 miles from the center.
Moderate to severe flooding can be expected as Hurricane Joaquin is forecast to produce 5 – 10 inches of rain with isolated amounts of 15 inches possible over San Salvador and Rum Cay through Friday morning. Rainfall amounts of 3 – 5 inches are possible over the remainder of the Central Bahamas through Friday morning, with 2 – 4 inches expected over the northwest and southeast Bahamas.
Small craft operators throughout The Bahamas should remain in port as large swells generated by Joaquin will affect The Bahamas during the next few days.
Captain Russell added that NEMA is in contact with Family Island administrators, in all the areas that are in the warning and watch areas, to ascertain their level of preparedness and to ensure that they have met with their individual island disaster committees.
We advise all Administrators in the watches and warnings areas to finish preparing their shelters so that they will be open and functioning by 6 p.m.,” Captain Russell said. (The Bahamas Government Press Release)