Windward Islands bracing for Tropical Storm Dorian

ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Dominica, which is still recovering from the battering it received in 2017 when Hurricane Maria pounded the island, killing more than 30 people and leaving millions of dollars in destruction, has joined the other Windward Islands – Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines in awaiting the passage of a Tropical Storm Dorian on Monday.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said that Dorian could be near hurricane strength when it passes through the northern Windward Islands on Tuesday, becoming the first hurricane for the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

In all four islands, the governments have ordered public offices to close early and in the case of St Lucia, which is likely to be most affected by the storm, a total shut down has been ordered from 6: 00 pm local time until the storm passes.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told a news conference that the government has been putting measures in place to ensure the safety of citizens.

“Dominicans as we all know that our island is under the storm watch, my priority is that everyone must be safe and secure. I suggest all to get enough food supplies in their houses and all necessary items as precautionary measures. We are in full recovery mode and we are also the First Climate Resilient Country in the world,” he said.

In Grenada, the authorities have said that in anticipation of the northern part of the island being affected more severely by the passage of the storm all government offices on the Grenadine Islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique would be closed early.

The two Grenadine islands are governed by Grenada, while the others are governed by the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

In St Vincent and the Grenadines, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, in a radio and television broadcast, said that all government offices, non-essential services and businesses are to close by 4:00 pm local time and gas stations and supermarkets will remain open until 6:00 p.m.

He also urged citizens to take all precautions to safeguard themselves from the storm, saying that forecasters have advised that the cyclone resembles Hurricane Tomas, which, a decade ago, left “millions and millions” in loss and damage in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“You have to prepare for this as you prepare for a hurricane. I don’t want you to take things lightly and say it’s just a storm and that it is going to the north and it would not impact us,” he said.

Gonsalves urged persons in areas prone to flooding to take all necessary precautions, adding that up to six inches of rainfall is forecast during the passage of the storm.

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