Gov’t taking measures as Hurricane Season nears says PM Skerrit

A satellite view of a hurricane

With the 2018 Hurricane Season set to begin in the next few days, Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit has said the government is taking precautionary measures to protect the lives and properties of Dominicans.

He spoke at a function last week.

“We have the Hurricane Season coming up in the next few days, I can say to you that the government is taking, as it has done in the past, precautionary and preemptive and proactive measures to as far as possible, as far as humanly possible, to protect our citizens and their properties,” he stated.

He pointed out that several meetings have been held and plans are being put in place for the season.

“One of the major challenges we had is in respect to shelters and the adequate number of shelters,” the Prime Minister said. “Thank God, most communities, the majority of communities do have shelters but we continue to solicit the cooperation and collaboration of all citizens.”

He appealed to owners of private homes with adequate space to make them available as hurricane shelters.

“We ask you and we call on you to make your homes available to your fellowmen in this country as we all prepare ourselves for the Hurricane Season,” he remarked.

Skerrit pointed out that while Dominicans must look to the government for leadership and for a national plan in relation to preparation for the Hurricane Season, it is also an individual responsibility.

“Each family must prepare his family, each business owner must prepare his business for the Hurricane Season security-wise, ensuring that your documents are protected,” he noted. “If there are drains, a blocked drain at the back of your business place, at the back of your home, mobilize the community and clean it because at the end of the day these things can have a devastating impact on our properties and even on our lives. So, the churches, each one of us must engage in preparing ourselves for the Hurricane Season.”

He said the Education and Information Committee will be on the radio informing of actions that can be taken as individual citizens and families to prepare for the Hurricane Season.

“So I am calling upon you to play your part in this effort,” the Prime Minister said.

The Hurricane Season begins on June 1 and ends on November 30.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has forecasted that the season will be near or above average than past years with 10 to 16 named storms. This will include one to four major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher intensity.

Dominica was devasted by Hurricane Maria, a monster Category 5 storm, in September last year.

Outlook for the Hurricane Season. Credit: NOAA

 

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18 Comments

  1. Dimples
    May 30, 2018

    The Government have had from September to prepare for the 2018 Hurricane Season, yet, we have the usual pathological lies from Mr Skerritt. Aren’t you all fed up with his lies and disregard for us Dominicans? Aren’t you weary of being misled and blind sided by this government by the embarrassment that he is causing our beautiful nature island?
    Alas. It’s time for him to be hauled out of the government. Please, somebody from the DLP step in until the free and fair elections can be called. He is making my beautiful country a laughing stock to the world.

    • Barbara Saunders
      June 1, 2018

      Dimples
      I guess you live in another country, so hurricane Maria did not happen and the government had nothing to do but prepare for the next hurricane season. I agree with you that the PM should be hauled out of government.

      My only problem is that I am looking at what the leader who is supposed to replace him has done since Maria:
      – travel about the world saying nasty things about Dominica;
      – writing to donors telling them not to give Dominica money because the government is politicking with it;
      – soliciting contributions from tarpaulin covered residents from the poorest country in the world to pay self-inflicted legal bills;
      – not visiting constituents to determine what help they need until the village council had to take unilateral action
      Come on folks, think of what you all are constantly cursing Dominicans and asking them to do? What exactly are they to expect when they haul out the incumbent. I agree to haul him out you know, but then what?

  2. marie-claire R Skerrit
    May 30, 2018

    My dear HOSBAND Mr. Skerrit.. Please note the following..

    The Caribbean’s small island economies face formidable challenges in dealing with globalisation, particularly in relation to the vital agricultural sector. Race, class and gender hierarchies of colonial domination have left a legacy of exclusion of the poor. Despite general improvements in living standards, poverty rates average 30 per cent of the Caribbean population.

    You wait one week before hurricane season to make such comments hence the entire island’s power is not restored, peoples roof are still not fixed. All that monies that is being given to the country is only political favoritism in the disbursement of those funds among other things. It saddens my heart to see Dominica go through something damaging like this again without the proper tools in place etc. I’m praying you guys fund you all heart down in all the greed and corruption and do right for the people.

    Your Ex-Wife signing Off

  3. Wilderness Voice
    May 30, 2018

    Less than a week before the 2018 hurricane season Skerrit talking his usual RUM Shop Talk about government taking measures> Only now Skerrit? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself and government? Sir, right now no responsible or reasonable government should be talking about “TAKING measures”, but would instead talk about measures taken. Sir, the hurricane season is every year and the runs from June 1 to November 30. To hear you talk about shelters and still asking people to make their house available as shelters is proof that you have not even taken the very basic steps. Here is how Proverbs 6: 6-8 describe people lioke you and your lazy government: 6″ …,come and learn a lesson from this tale of the tiny ant. Yes, all you lazybones, come learn from the example of the ant and enter into wisdom.
    7 The ants have no chief, no boss, no manager— no one has to tell them what to do. 8 You’ll see them working and toiling all summer long, stockpiling their food in preparation for winter.”

    • Barbara Saunders
      June 1, 2018

      Wilderness voice

      I thought he was talking so much about preparation that the word “resilience” and the concept of the first climate resilient country is now the favourite rum shop talk and even the subject of nasty jokes.

      The difference between you and a lot of other people is that they live here and experienced hurricane Maria and are aware that no government, not your proposed one, not this one, not past ones, not future ones could have had everyone ready for the next hurricane season; every roof covered; every community electrified etc.

      Sometimes I think we are begging for the wrath of God to fall on us. You can’t hate a person that much without doing damage to yourself in the process guys. You all are damaging yourselves guys. They call that shooting yourselves in the foot. Stop it and present yourselves as a serious alternative. Dominica needs one! Stop giving comfort to destructive strategies. This is your country!

  4. casca
    May 30, 2018

    tell first domestic to pay people their money. their are alot of outstanding claims unpaid.

  5. langsort
    May 30, 2018

    what measuring tape skerrit using. a red tape to only serve those that support him….

  6. My bad
    May 30, 2018

    On May 29, 2018 Skerrit says his government has taken measures for the next hurricane season but failed to name one real step taken by him and his government. The sad thing those fools will listen to Skerrit and forget everything about how unprepared government was for Erika in 2015, when Skerrit himself was in Macau with NG Lap Seng and got blocked by Erika, and they will forget about how unprepared he and his government were for Maria in 2017. People, compare Skerrit’s lies about being prepared to that of the BVI, which was also destroyed by hurricane in 2017 http://www.bviddm.com/early-preparations-for-2018-hurricane-season-in-full-swing/. But please note this report was in February and not last week as was the lies of Skerrit’

  7. Watchdog
    May 30, 2018

    Oh yes, we are so prepared!!!! So many houses are still without roofs (that’s gonna be fun), rivers not dredged, roads and bridges not repaired since Erika, not since Maria! And Mister Head Clown has certainly made arrangements to be flown out again before anything happens like last year!

  8. Neville
    May 30, 2018

    This is a prime example how Skerrit operates. He talks for an hour but actually says nothing because his statements are always wage. What he and his government are planning to do in detail he can not tell us. He can not tell us because in reality there are no measures at all in place, just more of the same old.

  9. Grave Yard digger
    May 29, 2018

    First of all hurricane season doesn’t start on the fir of June because the first storm Alberto, made landfall on Sunday. As far government and preparation is concerned, it’s another big lie! I hope Skerrit does not think that because he bought Judas Iscariot and made him the hurricane minister, that counts as steps government has taken to protect lives because apart from buying Judas, Dominica is just unprepared this season as we were last season. In fact we are far worse ready now than ever before. How could Skerrit say they have been preparing and is only now he is begging people to make their homes available as shelter? Say a person makes their house available tomorrow, what is the protocol to ensure the house is safe and was not compromised by Maria? Will government engineers go to those homes to inspect? Even if a house was not damaged by Maria, just for Domlec to reconnect you your house must be inspected and Skerrit wants to use homes as shelter, without any inspection?

  10. derp
    May 29, 2018

    boy look jokes all measures being taken LOL countless ravines and rivers still not dredged watch that eh days before you hear a hurricane coming then they going to mobilize bobcats to try and so something…

  11. derp
    May 29, 2018

    measures my a$$, countless ravines and rivers still not dredged the MAJOR cause of destruction was due to water, the waterways dun filled with silt and debris and all kinds of rubbish yet nothing done nothing…

  12. Ibo France
    May 29, 2018

    I really hope that the entire Caribbean will be spared from all tropical storms and hurricanes this year, especially Dominica. In its present vulnerable state, even a tropical depression will cause havoc as hardly any elaborate preparations were done to protect limbs, life and property. Where is the master plan? For the PM to wait until hours before the commencement of the hurricane season, to give a vacuous speech to the nation, boggles the mind. This is a hallmark of Skerrit’s leadership and that of his administration, GROSS MISMANAGEMENT and INCOMPETENCE. Imagine, at the eleventh hour of a new Hurricane Season, the PM and his spineless Cabinet Ministers, all without exception , have been found woefully wanting. This government is undisciplined and unprincipled, therefore nothing much will be accomplished under their tutelage.

  13. Shaka Zulu
    May 29, 2018

    As far as i am concerned. The police commisioner and deputy should have been fired. Benoitt Bardoule should have been fired. The head of the disaster preparedness committee should have been fired. We have a national disaster response committee and a disaster prep committee. A bunch of bureaucracy that do not know how to get squat done. Dominica was caught off guard twice and is the same people incharge come around. If all you cannot get the stupidity out of yall heads by choice mother nature will by force. The drainage is not fixed, rivers still clogged and nothing has been placed on coast to ease up erosion. In a few years Coulibistri, soufrier, dublanc, parts of massacre and mahaut will be gone. Bridge in Anse de mai is a disaster waiting to happen, bridge in Blenheim, and a bunch still no where close to repair. People have been rendered useless and vulnerable and they talk bout resilience. I my heart aches for our people.

  14. I am mine own
    May 29, 2018

    I’m just curious if the PM will open his own home if a hurricane comes to DA.

    • deeyeshaveit
      May 29, 2018

      he has said that he will do so publicly and has gotten bashed on radio ans social media by “the patriots” will Lennox be opening his own to Dominicans as well? Or will he be in Colorado

  15. Shaka Zulu
    May 29, 2018

    We have the Hurricane Season coming up in the next few days, I can say to you that the government is taking, as it has done in the past, precautionary and preemptive and proactive measures to as far as possible, as far as humanly possible, to protect our citizens and their properties,” he stated.
    what are these measures? Let me remind you that over 100 people got killed from Erika and Maria. That to me was a failure not once but twice. We all remember the advice given the day of the hurricane Maria. Do i trust this government? Hell no. See how responsibility is paaaed on. It is convenient after failure to blame individuals for not doing there part. The police ran home. What has been done to ensure they man up and honor thier oath. Dominica is destined for destruction under this government.

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