Teachers and Students of the Turks and Caicos Islands are invited to join the Conversation with Astronauts in space through the Disaster Fighters Campaign. Connecting kids with astronauts and scientists to learn about disasters. Please see the important links below for the conversation with the astronaut and the material for the preparation in the classrooms.

 

Informative video for teachers: https://youtu.be/nI-RsEL3zLk

Online form to send the questions for the astronaut: https://forms.gle/1q5EF3CHMRdcrY3W7

Contact e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

 

End of November (*), all students in the region will connect with the International Space Station to talk about disasters.

Astronauts in space can monitor with a unique perspective different hazards like hurricanes, volcanos, tsunamis, coastal erosion and wildfires. 

This is an opportunity to discuss how science and satellite monitoring can help us make better decisions on the ground when we are affected by natural hazards and climate change.

Topics include disaster monitoring (hurricanes, volcano eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, climate change, coastal erosion), and improving preparedness on the ground.

The students who send the ten best questions selected will ask them directly to the astronaut.

 

How can schools participate?

 1- All the students can send their questions using this online form. 

 2- Teachers can use this material to engage students.

 3- The deadline to send the questions is November 9th 2022.

 (*) IMPORTANT: The exact date of the conversation will be confirmed the week before by the International Space Station.

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 13, 2022

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2022 - Early Warning and Early Action for All

“Building resilience to climate change and reducing disaster risk and losses is vital to save lives and livelihoods, eradicate poverty and hunger and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.” Antonio Guterres - UN Secretary-General

October 13, 2022, has been designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) to promote a global culture of Disaster Risk Reduction. This year falls during the review of the Sendai Framework, which focuses on the progress thus far on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, adopted in March 2015. The review will end at a high-level meeting of the General Assembly in May 2023 with a political declaration.

The purpose of the Sendai Framework is to avoid creating new and reduce existing risks; if this is not possible, people-centred Early Warning Systems and Preparedness can enable early action to minimise the harm to people, assets and livelihoods. Early warning systems identify incoming hazards and ensure that the populations and various sectors at risk can receive an alert, understand it, and, most importantly, act on it. Therefore, an Early Warning System must trigger early action that is well-prepared and tested.

The Sendai Framework has seven global targets. This year's DRR Day will focus on Target G of the Sendai Framework "Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to people by 2030."

We have made many strides to improve our Early Warning Systems in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The DDME continues the annual mitigation of hazards through year-round campaigns, training workshops, simulation exercises and the introduction of the DDME ALERT Mobile App, which serves as an Early Warning Notification tool. This increased number of communication platforms will bring new opportunities to reach at-risk communities and assist the public in early preparation and emergency notifications. In addition to enhancing access to Disaster Risk Information, DDME continues to promote partnerships with all our primary stakeholders such as mobile-phone networks and media partners, to support disaster risk communication; TCIAA Department of Meteorology, in providing localised Impact-based Forecasting and Warning Services to the Turks and Caicos Islands for example.

However, there are always areas for improvement. Therefore, for the Turks and Caicos to accomplish Target G, we must establish Early Warning systems that are:

•  Multi-Hazard: they are designed to detect different hazards that may occur alone, simultaneously or cascade.
•  End-to-end: the system covers the entire range, from hazard detection to action, which includes providing understandable and actionable warning messages.
•  People-centred: this means designing the systems with people in mind to empower them to act on time and in an appropriate manner to reduce potential harm Hence the urgency to achieve this target was strengthened in March 2022 by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, who said, “the United Nations will spearhead new action to ensure every person on earth is protected by warning systems within five years.”

As of April 2022, only 95 countries have reported on the existence of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems through the Sendai Framework Monitoring System. We encourage you to download and explore your Early Warning Tool…DDME ALERT App…through you mobile App Play store for iPhone users visit: https://apple.co/3N37KhC for Android users: https://bit.ly/3N027AH .

 

 

TCIAA METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT & DDME ARE MONITORING THE TROPICAL DISTURBANCES

TROPICAL WEATHER STATEMENT #1 FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – Sunday, August 28, 2022, at 03:00 PM EDT

Recent satellite-derived wind data indicate that a broad area of low pressure located over the central tropical Atlantic Ocean is producing winds to near gale force, but the circulation remains elongated with an ill-defined centre.  Although environmental conditions ahead of the system do not appear conducive for significant development, a tropical depression, at the very least, is likely to form later this week while moving slowly toward the west and then west-northwest at 5 to 10 mph, toward the waters east and northeast of the Leeward Islands.

Current model guidance indicates that the system will be in the vicinity of the Turks and Caicos Islands by the end of this week.

*Chance of formation over the next 48 hours...medium...40 percent

*Chance of formation over the next 5 days...high...70 percent

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE PUBLIC

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• Download the DDME Alert App for significant weather alerts. Click the link: http://onelink.to/qe7vn2
• Continue to monitor the DDME website and Social media pages for official weather updates
• Prepare yourself well in advance for potential severe weather impacts

The TCIAA Meteorological Department and the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies will continue to monitor this system and advise the public accordingly.

Potential Impacts: Minor

Likelihood: Medium

Risk Level: LOW

Forecaster: Holly Hamilton