NATIONAL OFFICE OF DISASTER SERVICES

30th November 2017 - Press Release: The severe weather systems associated with the 2017 hurricane season should be considered as a wake-up call for Antiguans and Barbudans to be better prepared. That’s according to Director of the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) Philmore Mullin.

The hurricane season which began on June 1, officially ends today - November 30th.

Mullin says the fact that Antigua and Barbuda was impacted by Irma, with extreme damage in Barbuda, should encourage residents to stop procrastinating and encourages families, work places, schools and other entities to put in place all of the relevant disaster management programmes necessary to reduce the scale of impact and develop adequate preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation plans.

Although the hurricane season has officially ended residents should continue to be on alert since storms have formed and made impact outside of the season. NODS commends the volunteers for their patience and hard work and encourages others to come forward.

Meanwhile, the NODS Director will participate in next week’s annual regional Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) conference to be held in the Bahamas. “CDM: The road to resilience” is the theme for this year’s gathering which will bring together approximately 300 delegates from 40 countries to include disaster coordinators from throughout the Caribbean and youth representatives.