
Weather and disaster officials in Dominica are urging residents to exercise extreme caution on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Ernesto affects the island with continuous rainfall.
A Flood Warning remains in effect for Dominica until 6 pm.
“We do expect the total rainfall to continue climbing and we are in that period of the storm where we expect there to be continuous rainfall for at least the next two to three hours …,”
Ithoma James, Senior Met Officer at the Dominica Meteorological Service, said in a live interview on state-owned DBS Radio on Tuesday morning. “We do urge the general public to stay aware and be extremely cautious while moving around today.”
He said while the rainfall might not be extremely heavy, it will be continuous with flooding and landslides expected in some areas.
“So we just want to urge the general public to be extra cautious while they are moving around today,” he reiterated.
James stated that at 5 AM, Ernesto was located about 55 miles north of Dominica and was moving at 20 miles per hour, adding that when the storm reaches about 120 miles north of the island, some winds could start extending southwards but Dominica won’t be directly impacted.
He also pointed out that rainfall has been the main concern of the Met Office, hence the Flood Warning, which took effect at 6 pm on Monday, will remain in place.
“As of the past six hours we have had rainfall totaling to about one to two inches or three inches in certain areas” James stated.
Fitzroy Pascal, Disaster Management Coordinator at the Office of Disaster Management (ODM), also emphasized safety.
“The ODM continues to advise the public to exercise extreme caution as they conduct outdoor activities as necessary,” he said. “Persons should not walk, swim or drive though any flood waters. Safety should be the focus.”
He said as of early Tuesday morning, there have been no reports of flooding and landslides in Dominica.
“Meanwhile updates will continue from all the districts through our disaster committees,” he remarked.
“We have a network on the ground.”
When safety is first, people last.
Hoping that Dominica will come out of this storm relatively unscathed. All should heed the warnings of the relevant authorities. Stay put until instructed otherwise.
When safety is first, people last.