With Tropical Storm Kirk forecast to begin affecting Dominica on Thursday, citizens have been advised to remain indoors and avoid going outside unless it’s absolutely necessary.
However, no decision has been made with regard to employees staying home or reporting to work.
Prime Minister Skerrit announced earlier this evening that school children should stay home tomorrow and said he would reveal his decision with regard to work at the NEPO press briefing which was carded for 8:30 pm.
However, Skerrit was not present at that meeting and Minister for Justice, Immigration and National Security, Rayburn Blackmoore, said an announcement on that matter would likely be forthcoming after the 11:00 pm advisory tonight.
So far no state of emergency or curfew has been declared. Superintendent of Police Richmond Valentine nonetheless appealed to citizens to remain indoors and, as much as possible, to avoid going outside without good reason.
“We’re under a Tropical Storm warning. So, the advice from the police is to stay indoors, listen to the police and if you have no business in the city, it’s best that you remain wherever you are in the country areas,” Valentine advised.
He said police check points would be put in place to prevent motorists from accessing and causing congestion in the city.
“In the interest of safety, it is advisable that you stay home..particularly tomorrow, when we have been advised that sometime tomorrow morning, we are going to start feeling the impact. And so, to make it easy for the law enforcement, we are appealing to the citizens of Dominica to comply with the security arrangements that are going to be in place,” the senior police officer stated.
He added that all police officers have been asked to report to work and that they are going to be out in full force island wide “to ensure the safety and security of every one”.
Dominica remains under a Tropical Storm Warning which means that tropical storm conditions are expected to spread across the island by Thursday and continue into Friday.
According to the latest advisory from the Dominica Meteorological Office, at 8 pm, Tropical Storm Kirk was located near latitude 12.7 North and longitude 56.1 West or 395 miles or 635 kilometers east south-east of Dominica.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 60mph and extends 115 miles from the center of the system.
Kirk is moving west north-westward near 18 mph.
On the forecast track, the center will move over the Lesser Antilles within the Tropical Storm Warning area Thursday afternoon into the evening.
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