The Government of Montserrat is donating EC$100,000 to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to help the islands impacted by Hurricane Beryl.
Premier Joseph Farrell said the decision was made during the 4 July meeting of Cabinet, according to a government press release on 9 July.
He added that the government thought it was prudent to make a cash donation through CDEMA as the central agency for disaster relief in the region.
The government is also in talks with Lieutenant Colonel Alvin Ryan, director of the Disaster Management Coordination Agency, to see if personnel can be deployed to affected islands.
Vital supplies
CARICOM leaders have been in contact with each other and an emergency meeting was held early last week, the premier said in the press release.
Farrell was among those to receive briefings from heads of the affected islands on the damage that occurred and vital supplies that are required.
“The premier expressed empathy on behalf of the government and people of Montserrat to people of the islands impacted by Hurricane Beryl”, the press release added.
Beryl – the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season – brought catastrophic winds, storm surges, damaging waves, and heavy rainfall to parts of the Caribbean.
It barrelled through Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and the south coast of Jamaica as a Category 4 storm.
Above average
In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted an above normal Atlantic hurricane season. This takes place from June 1 to November 30.
Experts forecast a range of 17 to 25 total named storms with winds of 39 miles per hour or higher. They expect eight to 13 to become hurricanes, with winds of 74 miles per hour or higher.
Of those, they have forecast four to seven to be major hurricanes, of category three, four or five, with winds of 111 miles per hour or higher.
Montserrat’s Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA) director Alvin Ryan, in a Facebook video message on 1 June, urged residents to prepare.
“Action now can really help reduce the impacts of storms on our communities, reduce damage to property, and most importantly, save lives, which is the ultimate goal,” he said.
“Remember, it only takes one.”
Information on how to prepare for a hurricane is available in the DMCA’s 2024 Hurricane Preparedness Guide here.
Visit the National Hurricane Center for the latest weather updates at www.nhc.noaa.gov
