Hanover 80 per cent ready for hurricane season – ODPEM coordinator

WESTERN BUREAU:

With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicting an above-average hurricane season for 2022, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) coordinator in Hanover, Keniesha Stennett-Dunbar, thinks her parish is ready to face the challenges of the season.

The NOAA prediction for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season is that some 14 to 21 named storms may occur during the period, June 1 to November 30, with six to 10 of them possibly becoming hurricanes, and three to six possibly becoming major hurricanes, of category three strength or higher.

Stennett-Dunbar is not worried about effects that any such weather system will have in Hanover, as she told The Gleaner that the parish is now 80 per cent ready for any eventualities, as she has just a few training sessions left to be held with emergency shelter managers and some volunteers. She said that the training of shelter managers and other volunteers has been ongoing across the parish, and will continue even throughout the hurricane season.

Stennett-Dunbar pointed out that there are 54 registered emergency shelters across the parish, all with trained shelter managers identified, while there are other facilities and buildings available that can be used if the necessity arises.

“We cannot be one hundred per cent prepared, because you do not know what kind of emergency will occur, but we try our best to be as close to it as possible. There is no preparedness that is going to be one hundred per cent, but we try to put ourselves in a situation where we will be able to respond in emergency situations, if we need to,” she stated.

Against the background of the recent flooding in the town of Lucea following heavy rains, Stennett-Dunbar was asked about flood-prone areas across the parish, and what plans are in place should they become flooded during a hurricane.

PROPOSED SOLUTION

“We have been meeting (with the National Works Agency and the Hanover Municipal Corporation), and we realise that if we do a continuous drain cleaning programme, and maintenance of the river channel, we can alleviate the flooding, or reduce the impact of the flooding,” she said.

“We are also working with community members, trying to show them that some of the responsibilities of prevention is also theirs, and that they own the communities. We are trying to have a relationship with them where we can work together and maintain the areas to reduce the impact of flooding,” she argued.

In addressing the fact that it was several pieces of bamboo blocking the flow of the Riley River under the Riley Bridge that had caused the recent flooding in Lucea, the disaster preparedness coordinator pointed out that a serious look is being taken at the possibility of cleaning the Riley River channel, and also doing some amount of river training, but no concrete decision has yet been taken.

Stennett-Dunbar noted that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will not be overlooked during the hurricane season, adding that full preparation is being done with a view to following the issued health protocols, even in an emergency situation.

“All our shelters have been issued with sanitation items, and the health protocols will be closely followed,” she emphasised, adding that the Hanover Disaster Preparedness committee has foodstuff and other stock in storage, and arrangements are also in place with business owners across the parish, for the establishment of a line-of-credit to the ODPEM committee, if it is needed.