The latest from the Caribbean Community
The World Meteorological Organisation’s Hurricane Committee is meeting in Martinique, France, from 9 to 13 April to review the devastating 2017 Atlantic hurricane season and to discuss regional coordination and operational planning to protect lives and property in the forthcoming one.
The Hurricane Committee retired the names Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate from its list of rotating names. They will be replaced by Harold, Idalia, Margot and Nigel.
The World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee meets from 9 to 13 April to review the devastating 2017 Atlantic hurricane season and to discuss regional coordination and operational planning to protect lives and property in the forthcoming one.
The extremely active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the most destructive on record. Damage costs exceeded 250 billion dollars in the United States alone, whilst recovery for the worst hit Caribbean islands such as Dominica may take years. Several hundred people died, and the lives of millions were impacted.
Accurate forecasts and warnings about wind, storm surge and flooding hazards and coordination between meteorological services and disaster management helped prevent the casualty toll from being even higher. Longstanding cooperation within WMO’s Regional Association for North America, Central America and the Caribbean (RAIV) meant that sophisticated forecast products and impact assessments were available to the whole region.
For the first time on record, three category 4 hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. (Harvey, Irma and Maria), and six category 5 landfalls occurred across the Caribbean basin from Irma and Maria.
Read more at: World Meteorological Office
Roseau, Dominica – March 18, 2018 marks six months since a powerful Category 5 hurricane slammed the island nation of Dominica. Six months following Hurricane Maria, Dominica has made major progress in restoring routes to and from the island, essential services and amenities, and transportation throughout the island.
“Nothing is better for our recovery from Hurricane Maria than visitors to our island,” says Colin Piper, CEO of the Discover Dominica Authority. “We have made significant progress in getting the island ready for guests. Whether it’s for a relaxing getaway, special event or meaningful travel, visitors will see the same vibrant spirit of our people and beautiful scenery and features that make Dominica the Nature Island of the Caribbean.”
Dominica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Francine Baron, last week expressed gratitude to the people of the Caribbean for their support following the passage of Hurricane Maria through Dominica last September.
The Minister was at the time addressing an appreciation ceremony that the Dominica Association of Barbados held earlier this month in Barbados to express thanks to those who rendered assistance to the Nature Isle after the devastating Hurricane.
According to Barbados Today, the Minister said that the hurricanes that ravaged the Region last year and in particular Hurricane Maria brought out the best of CARICOM, “not just the humanity of our Caribbean people, but the strength and usefulness of our institutions, such as the RSS and CDEMA [the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency]”.
Minister Baron pointed out that in the immediate wake of the disaster, the first set of soldiers to arrive on the island under the banner of the Regional Security System (RSS), was from Barbados. They provided critical support to the Dominica Police Force and were joined later by representatives of forces of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.
“I must also express our sincere appreciation to the Government and people of Barbados for deploying its Coast Guard, personnel of the Barbados Defence Force, its team of artisans and for the provision of relief supplies to Dominica.
“The soldiers assisted with security on the ground for the Caribbean response teams and worked with our police in upholding the curfew; they assisted also with the recapture of escaped prisoners. The artisans did the immediate emergency repairs to the hospital, prison and other key government buildings,” Barbados Today quoted the Minister as saying.
The news entity said that the Minister also praisd other regional and international organisations.