Hazards Take Control HURRICANE By NEMO Saint Lucia

Hazards: Take Control HURRICANE By NEMO Saint Lucia

DISASTER RISKS FACED BY THE CARIBBEAN Source: Primer Series by the Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction S EARTHQUAKES FIRES HURRICANES GOAL: REDUCE DISASTER RISK DEVELOP POLICIES FOR ACTIONS HAVING HIGH BENEFIT/COST FOR THE CARIBBEAN REGION H U A N E R R C I VOLCANOES FLOODS LANDSLIDES MEDICAL EMERGENCIES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

Hazard: Hurricane • Hurricane – Amerindian name for the mighty storms that come though the Caribbean and Latin America during the months of June – November.

Hazard: Hurricane June, too soon July, stand by August, come it must September, remember October, all over November, ? ? ?

Hazard: Hurricane In 1953, women’s names were used, and in 1979, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the U. S. National Weather Service switched to a list of names that also included men's names. The current list of names recycles every six years, unless a hurricane gets its name retired. Any nation impacted by a severe hurricane can lobby the WMO to have the hurricane's name retired. From 1950 - 2004, 62 hurricanes had their names retired.

http: //static. howstuffworks. com/gif/hurricane-saffir-simpson. jpg Hazard Defined

Hazard Defined Out of five (5) businesses which sustained structural damage due to Tropical Storm Debby*; three never reopened. Information from: Draft Preliminary Design Report, Coastal Protection for Dennery Village * TS Debby: 1994

Preparing for Hurricanes THE KEY IS: 1) KNOW THE DISASTER HISTORY OF YOUR REGION 2) KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY

Preparing for Hurricanes IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO EVACUATE, YOU MUST PREPARE TO FIGHT THE WIND, WATER, DOWNED TREES, AND MUDSLIDES THAT ARE COMING

Preparing for Hurricanes YOU MUST FIGHT THE RIVER BY YOURSELF IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO EVACUATE AT THE SAFE TIME

Preparing for Hurricanes • • • Discuss the hazard with your family. Prepare a disaster plan. Know the safe zones. Prepare an evacuation plan. Don’t forget your pets!

Preparing for Hurricanes • Groceries • Hardware [lumber, plywood, nails, roped, wires, plastic sheeting, sandbags] • • Papers [Passport, ID, Insurance, Mortgage, Wills] Medicines and First Aid Supplies Baby Supplies Animal Supplies Be sure to rotate your supplies every six (6) months to a year!

Preparing for Hurricanes Livestock Protection Animals can swim well. DO NOT leave them in confined areas or pens. Open gates so that animals can escape. DO NOT keep them tied -- Remove their ropes so that they don’t become entangled and so drown.

Preparing for Hurricanes • Listen for emergency instructions • Watch for rapidly rising water • Store drinking water in sealed plastic containers as water service may be interrupted. • Move household items to higher levels • Get livestock to higher ground • Evacuate if necessary when it is safe to do so, don't move quickly. • Turn off electricity at the main switch before evacuating

Preparing for Hurricanes • Building code November 30, 1999 - The Ministry of Planning says a National Building Code for St. Lucia - three years in the making is about to come to fruition. The development of the code has been further prompted by an increase is the destructive nature of natural disasters in recent times, which has been further exacerbated by spontaneous developments in several disaster prone areas of the country. As of April 2010 the Building Code has not been adopted

Preparing for Hurricanes ? n o “It is generally accepted that disaster 0 0 mitigation pays. For example, the . 1 $ World Bank and United States r u Geological Survey once calculated o y that economic losses worldwide d n from natural disasters during the e p s 1990 s could be reduced by $280 u billion if $30 billion were invested o y in disaster mitigation and li l w preparedness — a ratio of $7 saved t a for every h $1 spent. ” W Twigg 2001, p. 3.

Preparing for Hurricanes I want to urge you to act now in getting the insured household percentage up from 35%. I want to challenge you to strive at a 60% figure for this year, no matter how painful the financial cost Dr. Kenny D. Anthony Prime Minister of Saint Lucia January 16, 2005

Preparing for Hurricanes TIME 12 hours before impact [minimum time] 10 hours before impact 7 hours before impact S H ZERO Hour [Impact time] ACTION Educational Intuitions: Schools, Pre Schools, Day Care Centres, UWI Extra Mural Department, Community College etc. have shut down. All persons are now at home. The non-essential services personnel of the Public and Private Sectors have shut down. Non-essential persons have been dismissed and are now at home. Essential Services / Personnel as described in Section Eight [8] remain open a bit longer. Except for Emergency Services the ENTIRE COUNTRY has shut down. The Essential Services of the Public and Private Sectors have shut down. Except for the Emergency Personnel all persons are now at home. Except for the Emergency Services the ENTIRE COUNTRY has shut down. Everyone is at home. U T D O W N

Preparing for Hurricanes To Tree or Not to Tree

Preparing for Hurricanes Saint Lucia Criminal Code Statutory Rule and Orders, 1978, No. 10 Public Health (Nuisances) Regulations S 3 and S 4 Electricity Supply Act No 10 of 1999 S 13. (3) NEMO does not cut trees. However dependant on the scenario these Agencies can help.

Early Warning Systems The four components of an early warning system: 1. Monitor the hazard; 2. Quantify the hazard; 3. A disaster plan to address the hazard; [Hurricane Response Plan, Flood Response Plan, Emergency Plan for the Homeless, Emergency Shelters Policy and Plan] 4. Effective communications for warning.

Early Warning Systems Supplied by Saint Lucia Met Service slu_weather-subscribe@yahoogroups. com

Early Warning Systems ADVISORY “Ready” HURRICANE WATCH “Set” HURRICANE WARNING “Go!” EVENT SOURCE: NOAA

Early Warning Systems

Effects of Hurricanes Transmission Line Street trees Infrastructure damage Traffic accident Strong wind Severe convection Casualty Hurricane High waves Inundation Electrocution Strom surge Heavy Rain Farmland Traffic accident Street Billboards Water logging Basement flooding Plant disease Overflowing River banks destroyed Marine accident Green house Source: Shanghai Meteorological Bureau The Domino Effect

Effects of Hurricanes • WIND FIELD (COUNTER CLOCKWISE DIRECTION; CAT 1 (74 mph) TO CAT 5 (155 mph or greater) • STORM SURGE • HEAVY PRECIPITATION • LANDSLIDES (MUDFLOWS) • COSTAL EROSION • STORM PACKETS (SOMETIMES) From the Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction

Effects of Hurricanes • • • Beach erosion Landslides Flooding Storm Surges Damage to: § Infrastructure § Homes • Increase in insurance premiums • Death

Effects of Hurricanes … knee high waves can have strong enough currents to sweep people off their feet and move cars and small structures. Waves half a meter high can tear buildings off their foundations.

Effects of Hurricanes One storm can take you from the Information Age right back to the Stone Age.

Effects of Hurricanes Photo Credit: Gillian Cambers Tropical Storm Debbie [1994] Fond D’Or Beach, Dennery Erosion of coastal lands, Rodney Bay

Effects of Hurricanes Photo Credit: Saint Lucia Red Cross Soufriere Waterfront: Hurricane Lenny – November 1999

Photo Credit: Julian Dubois Effects of Hurricanes Laborie Bay: Hurricane Ivan [September 2004]

After the Hurricane • Re-enter buildings with caution. Use flashlights, not lanterns or torches as flammables may be inside. • Be alert for fire hazards such as broken electrical wires. • If the building has been under water, do not switch on the main, wait for professional assistance. Never touch electrical switches while wet or standing in water

After the Hurricane • Don't use appliances or equipment until they have been cleaned, dried and thoroughly checked for damage. • Report utility lines (electricity, water, LPG gas and telephone) to the appropriate authorities. • Boil all water and don't eat left-over food until it is checked for contamination • Keep away from disaster areas as your presence may hamper rescue efforts

ALL CLEAR • If the eye of the storm is passing there will be a moment of calm. • Remain evacuated!! The intensity of the storm will return from the opposite direction. • Wait for the official “ALL CLEAR” announcement. NOTE: Saint Lucia Met Services is the Official Agency for weather and All Clear. Other sources don’t aim their info at us. BE CAREFUL

Online Resources National Emergency Management Plan http: //stlucia. gov. lc/nemp Family Disaster Plan http: //www. cdera. org/doccentre/familyplan. html Family Evacuation Plan http: //stlucia. gov. lc/nemp/plans/Evac. Template. doc Family Disaster Supplies List http: //www. stlucia. gov. lc/docs/nemo/Family. Disaster. Sup plies. Calendar. pdf