MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT FOR HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS MONTH 2018

My fellow residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands, as we approach the start of the 2018 hurricane season on June 1st, I feel compelled to say that we should be ever mindful of some of the valuable lessons which Mother Nature has taught us; that we must take nothing for granted and we should always be prepared.

Various weather experts have predicted that this year's season will be above average. While there was a nine-year span between Hurricanes Ike and Hanna in 2008 and Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, there should be no doubt whatsoever in our minds that we in the Turks and Caicos Islands are in the hurricane danger zone, even by reviewing those weather systems that would have barely missed us during those nine years.

Yes, we have been far more fortunate than many of our Caribbean neighbours who were decimated by those two powerful 2017 hurricanes and others. True, we have proven that even in the face of last year's adversities, we are a resilient people with a unique capability of returning to normalcy at a pace that has been as rapid, admirable and steady as the other areas that have made us the envy of this region.

But still, as we continue to thank God for sparing us the worst of the wrath, it is incumbent on all of us to put those lessons learnt into real action, even as we continue as a Christian country to lift up our prayers to be shielded from any hurricanes and natural disasters this year.

There can be no denying that we in the Turks and Caicos Islands are still wearing the scars of last year's back-to-back hurricanes. Indeed, many persons and businesses, for one reason or another, are still not restored to a state of normalcy.

I therefore take this opportunity, as the Minister responsible for the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies, to encourage you to take whatever serious and urgent precautions that are necessary to ensure that this hurricane season does not find you in what would be an unfortunate and extremely risky state of unpreparedness and vulnerability.

By this, I simply mean that you should, for example, accelerate and complete all repairs to your homes and businesses and ensure that your properties are adequately insured.

With that being said, I want to let you know that my ministry, the DDME and my Government, having also learnt from the experiences of Irma and Maria, will be taking all appropriate measures to ensure that everything is in place to mitigate the effects of any storm or hurricane that threatens us.

It is true that the Turks and Caicos Islands, being an archipelago, will naturally have different and far more serious challenges than single-island countries when it comes to disaster management and preparedness. We have already seen the evidence of that.

That is why my Ministry will be making a concerted effort in collaboration with all other key stakeholders in government, the private sector (and externally where necessary) to have all critical systems in place and functioning effectively on each island, including proper hurricane shelters, adequate supplies and reliable telecommunications and power supply.