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DDM hopes to install emergency warning systems by July

- Weather stations already being installed across the Territory
Brand new weather stations that are being installed in different areas of the territory. Photo: GIS
Sharleen S. Dabreo, Director of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) stated that her department is aiming to install majority of the emergency warning systems by July, which she says is the peak of the hurricane season begins. Photo: VINO
Sharleen S. Dabreo, Director of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) stated that her department is aiming to install majority of the emergency warning systems by July, which she says is the peak of the hurricane season begins. Photo: VINO
Some emergency warning system that was destroyed by hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017. Photo: DDM
Some emergency warning system that was destroyed by hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017. Photo: DDM
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - During a press conference on Wednesday May 2, 2018 at the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) conference room located at the Simms Mini Mall, Sharleen S. Dabreo, Director of DDM stated that her department is aiming to install a majority of the emergency warning systems by July, when the peak of the hurricane season begins.

She said, “We are going to try our very best to be ready. We have been given quite a bit of money to start putting the basic network back in place. Our aim is to try to get a majority of the network in by July for the peak of season...and we are looking at new sites and we are reinstalling sites where we had units and to identify other areas.”

The emergency warning systems were destroyed during the hurricanes of September 2017 and some half a million dollars has already been allocated to DDM to purchase some of the equipment.

“We started to install some of the weather stations”

Ms Dabreo told reporters that her department has already started to install new weather stations, while noting that more orders have been placed for more equipment. She added that new weather stations have been installed at Capoon’s Bay and Hodge's Creek, while Paraquita Bay’s unit was reinstalled.

“We started to install some of the weather stations. We have placed an order for all the other equipment and they are about to be shipped out and we have had an additional purchasing to strengthen the sites.”

According to Ms Dabreo, the equipment such as weather stations, 30-foot towers, sirens and smart radios are being obtained in Germany and Venezuela but noted that a majority of the equipment is coming from the United States.

“We depend on our partners during this process”

Meanwhile, the DDM Director emphasised that her department depends on the partners that are assisting them in getting the network up and running before the next hurricane season.

She told reporters that DDM has been working with the Caribbean Institute for Hydrology and Meteorology who is “on the ground” giving advice on what they need to do to reinforce the units.

“It’s really a partnership - yes the equipment is being installed by technicians at DDM - but we are very dependent on our partners to be part of the process. We even got stations that were contributed by the government of Italy. We have an MOU [Memorandum of Understanding] with them,” she explained.

Code Red App

During the press conference, Ms Dabreo mentioned there is a new system called ‘Code Red’, which was tested during the Tsunami drill in March 2018. It is an app that persons can download on their smartphones to get alerts and she noted that persons will receive a message even if their phones are switched off.

Ms Dabreo said, “We have just been looking at cost-effective ways to make sure that we-we are listening to the community and we are hearing the concerns and we want to make sure that we are able to address all the issues,” while admitting that not every community will have a siren.

“We are at a stage where recovery is amazing”

Responding to questions from the media on whether the territory will be ready for the next hurricane season, Ms Dabreo pointed out that persons must understand that the territory went through four events last year and believes that the territory has recovered very quickly.

The DDM director passionately explained, “I think people forget the intensity of the impact and I want people to remember that we had four events last year. In July when we had lots of rain, August floods - worse flood the BVI has ever had, then we had Irma and it made the Guinness Book of Records as the worse hurricane ever to hit this region, and you had Maria behind, and then you had Harvey.”

She continued, "Four events in one year, I don’t know any country that has been able to pull back and to recover the way that we are recovering now. So some credit has to be given to the government and to the people of the BVI who are working together to make sure that we are where we are today.”

4 Responses to “DDM hopes to install emergency warning systems by July”

  • watcher (03/05/2018, 11:07) Like (0) Dislike (2) Reply
    Pure talk
  • HMMM (03/05/2018, 13:17) Like (0) Dislike (2) Reply
    what a waste of half a million dollars
  • NezRez (03/05/2018, 16:59) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    I hope they put one down Josiahs Bay because we cannot hear anything down there. We cannot hear the one in Long Look at the police station.
  • Marie Blyden (04/05/2018, 17:27) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    I agree with NezRez. We in Josiah’s Bay are continually being flooded and we sure cannot hear the siren when it goes off. We need one down here or at the top of the hill so we can notify everyone down here. We are sitting ducks.


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