The Saint Lucia Meteorological Services expects Tropical Storm Bret to come directly across the Island based on the current forecast.
“We are expecting that this system will come directly across Saint Lucia based on the forecast models. So we are hoping that persons take heed,” Director Andre Joyeux said.
With the weather system about forty-eight hours away, the National Emergency Management Advisory Council (NEMAC) held a meeting chaired by Education Minister Shawn Edward on Tuesday.
Edward is Chairman of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
However, he was deputising at the NEMAC gathering for Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre.
Pierre was chairing the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Board Meeting in Saint Lucia.
Edward said he was pleased by the interventions of the various stakeholders at the NEMAC gathering.
And he advised citizens to heed information from the Met Office, the central government, and the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO).
The Dennery North MP noted a tendency when disaster looms, or a system is approaching for people to feed from sources that are not always credible.
“You should not entertain rumours,” Edward asserted, adding that people should take information from the Met Office seriously.
He explained that meteorology is not an exact science.
In addition, Edward observed that some predictions might not necessarily unfold as forecast, through no fault of the forecasters.
“This is just how dynamic nature can be where you come, and you predict a system today, and that can change tomorrow. It is always better for us to be safe than sorry,” Edward said.
“So if it is that we are told that we should expect heavy rains and there’s a potential for flooding, people should take that into consideration even if tomorrow when you wake up, you notice we have clear skies and you have no flood waters,” the Minister stated.
He recalled telling Tuesday’s NEMAC meeting that losing a day’s work or a week of school instruction was better than losing a life.
“We can always replace property, but we do not want for anybody to perish in times of disaster,” Edward said.
But he said it was too early to speak of any shutdown, explaining that established protocols would inform later decision-making regarding the storm.
Weather experts expect Bret to remain a tropical storm when it moves into the Caribbean.
They say it could be a stronger tropical storm with sustained winds around 65 mph when it moves across the Lesser Antilles on Thursday and Thursday night.
Headline photo: NEMAC meeting in progress.
How is it that the feeder streams or the main channels of the Cul de Sac & Marc rivers have not yet been de-silted this year? This is important to avoid flooding across the highway between the Bexon Primary School & the Marc gap; especially at the culvert just north of the bright yellow house near the Sol gas station. This continues to be an easy choke point because the water main blocks it directly; never mind the trees growing within the stream bed itself!
Is it because this is not an election year? The rains have started in earnest as I type!
I predict that the next heavy, sustained rainfall will surely cause flooding of the highway at that very spot; and the only cars on the highway then, will be the abandoned cars from the old roadway!
Is the South-East Castries parliamentary Representative listening?
I understand what you are saying that the weather can change and it is unpredictable, to bad there are alot of ignorant saint lucians that will go around saying” “oh where the storm? they tell us storm coming and nothing making me buy endless goods in the supermarket” but today is already Wednesday so please alert people early enough so that they can know what they about. Dont tell me on Thursday when people already heading to work or school yall will say close the island and then there is a frantic rush to get back home.
Well I hope this hurricane bypasses st Lucia?
Why?
Because the Labour Party parasites so busy taking care of their own pockets I guarantee if the weather causes problems Lucians on their own!
Remember all the flooding because they never cleared the gullies or rivers? Well they still not cleared so expect trouble.
A UWP rep who lost in the last election was telling me all the things they did for the constituents. The youth, elderly, women getting this that and the other. Now they all crying but forget what was done for them that mattered. Now all they have is roro and maypuis to eat and drink.
So Lucians, watch the weather and pray because you ain’t have no relief coming.
@Nudge you are correct – “if you fail to prepare you are certainly preparing to fail” — Mother Nature is neither SLP or UWP – take heed, prepare your household and hope for the best. As the storm and the winds can shift or change course — if it bypasses St. Lucia to God be the glory.
I reside abroad and I have witnessed within the same day – varied weather patterns all within 24 hours – meteorology is based on tracking and forecasting – so please take heed as prevention is better than cure.
For the powers that be, please note that the rivers and drains have not been de-silted for the hurricane season.
The Castries river has not been de-silted in two years, I guess it will just be deemed a natural disaster that you had no control over.
Was too busy planning the Victory Parade. Tanto Tanto
They guys are cleaning around the river and not the inside of the river… we’ll then again nou ashee nou jouin