BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) \u2013 The Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Monday urged regional countries to be full prepared for the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season even as they grapple with the impact of COVID-19, and in the case of St Vincent and the Grenadines, the La Soufriere volcano.<\/p>\n
The six-month hurricane season gets underway on Tuesday, and while meteorologists have predicted that the season is expected to be an above-normal one, CDEMA acting executive director, Elizabeth Riley said Caribbean countries must still be prepared for other weather situations occurring within the period.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message is really one of preparedness and we say this every year and the national disaster offices reiterate the message and we want to repeat it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe forecast is a guide that gives us insight as to what could possibly happen in terms of the number of systems for the season. However, we always make the point that it can take only one system to have devastating impact on any of our Caricom states. So preparedness if absolutely critical,\u201d Riley told the virtual launch of CDEMA’s annual hurricane season press conference.<\/p>\n
But she acknowledged that with the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in thousands of people in the Caribbean being infected and killed since last March, preparedness would also have to take into consideration the various health protocols put in place to curb the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is really about the reality that we live in, the environment, the space in the Caribbean where we have multiple factors. This is a Caribbean reality and \u2026it is really about keeping yourselves safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have received a multiplicity of messages of the things we can do to keep ourselves safe from COVID-19, the physical distancing, hygiene and also various other measures that have been promoted,\u201d Riley said, adding \u201cwhat we are giving as our message this year with respect to COVID-19 is similar to what we did last year, that we very much have to respect the health protocols\u00a0 associated with COVID-19, but we address them within the context of the actions that we normally take during the hurricane season\u201d.<\/p>\n
She told reporters that people making their way to various shelters \u201chave to give due consideration to those requirements related to COVID-19.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo as you are packing your supplies to go to a shelter\u00a0 you have to integrate personal protective equipment, you have to have your mask available, gloves available, hand washing liquid, etc to be able to practice those protocols in the shelter,\u201d the senior CDEMA official said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) \u2013 The Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Monday urged regional countries to be full prepared for the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season even as they grapple with the impact of COVID-19, 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News<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) \u2013 The Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Monday urged regional countries to be full prepared for the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season even as they grapple with the impact of COVID-19, 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