PM Terrance Drew Prioritizes Hurricane Preparedness at NEOC meet

St Kitts and Nevis: The Prime Minister Terrance Drew, engaged in a recent three-day meet by National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), organised to discuss National Hurricane Preparedness and Response simulation.

The Prime minister who is also the Executive member of the NEOC organised the meet in light of the damage caused by the recent disastrous hurricane. The prime minister emphasized that Preparedness is crucial for addressing challenges and hazards during times of emergency.

PM Drew further addressed that this meet will also help to ascertain the need of additional financial resources if needed in the nation’s preparedness. The meet which was conducted from 17th July 2024 to 19th July 2024 was held in order to ensure the disaster preparedness the federation has implemented for future causalities.

The exercise was centred on the scenario of Hurricanes’ potential impact on the Federation, which commenced with a pre-strike discussion at NEMA headquarters.

Apparently, the prime minister actively attended the two days meet until he left for another meeting with Eastern Caribbean Central Bank ECCB. The NEOC meet ended on Friday 19th July 2024, with several members of the NEOC visiting and assessing the damage caused by the recent hurricane BERYL.

The officials visited three main territories which were affected including Irish Town Bay Road where extensive flooding has caused a significant sand deposit on the roads and surrounding areas. The officials further visited parts of Cayon where land sliding was caused and Stone Fort where the crew was clearing out fallen trees and debris that caused blockage on the roads.

NEOC officials regarded the three-day simulation exercise successful since it provided essential insights on the Federation’s readiness and response systems, and highlighted areas where adjustments are needed in the bid to keep citizens safe and informed during disasters.

Reportedly, the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is considered to be one of the deadliest hurricane seasons, with almost 25 named storms predicted. Following the passage of BERYL, the Caribbean countries shocked to the aftermath of the hurricane as the category 5 hurricane caused severe damage to the island nations.