NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (May 31, 2018) — The public on Nevis is being urged to prepare for the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season which commences officially on June 01, 2018 even though the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) will play its part.

Premier of Nevis Hon. Mark Brantley gave the advice at his monthly press conference at the NIA Cabinet Room at Pinney’s Estate on May 29, 2018.

“We encourage all of our residents to continue to heed every precaution and to get ready now, not wait until you hear a storm is coming but to get ready now, in the sense of ensuring that your homes are secure, your drains are clear, guts are cleared. We are going to do our part to be sure but we ask residents to do their part as well.

“We will continue our efforts in terms of the public awareness campaign for people to get ready for what might happen and, of course, to ensure that our public facilities and shelters are in good order,” he said.

Mr. Brantley added that the Disaster Preparedness team which comes under the leadership of Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Disaster Management, will soon be activated.

The Premier used the opportunity to laud Mr. Brian Dyer, Director of the Nevis Disaster Management Department (NDMD), and his team for their commendable job on the island.

“Preparing the public, they do that by way of ensuring the shelters ready; shelters are in good order. We have just partnered with the Japanese government which has repaired shelters here in Nevis. I can think of the shelter in Bath for example. The Albertha Payne Community Centre went through a whole repair. I can think of a retaining wall that was done in the Fenton Hill area…because it was prone to flooding and mud slides.

I think in all the shelters we do the checks…The season is now starting and the Disaster Preparedness folks will be out. That is part of what they will be doing through Public Works. We will be looking at ensuring our guts and ravines, the water run off areas are clear and, of course, we will continue to clear the trenches and ensure the sides of the road and all of that are clear,” he said.

In 2017 the Embassy of Japan to St. Kitts and Nevis and the NDMD in the NIA signed a grant contract for US$370,529, for the implementation of a project to improve disaster resilience and emergency shelter management on Nevis.

The project which was completed in 2018, included the refurbishment of the Albertha Payne Community Centre in Bath Village; the construction of rock reinforcement along the waterway in Stoney Grove to mitigate flooding damage; construction of a retaining wall at Fenton Hill to mitigate the occurrence of the rock fall hazard for the safety of the motoring public; the installation of aluminum shutters on 10 community centres; repairs to the roofing of the Butlers Community Centre and installation of electrical water pumps at the Jessups and Prospect community centres.