Thursday, September 19, 2019 – His Excellency the Acting Governor David Archer Jr and Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew Fahie are urging the public to closely monitor the approach of Hurricane Jerry, which could begin to impact the Territory as early as Friday morning.
At a meeting of the National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) yesterday at the Department of Disaster Management, assembled ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of critical agencies and departments were briefed on Jerry’s anticipated path and its potential to bring adverse weather conditions to the Virgin Islands. Forecasters expect Jerry to be a category 1 hurricane when it passes to the north of the Territory Friday night.
The Acting Governor while addressing the Council said, “We are going to prepare as if we were going to be impacted by a hurricane. Preparedness is the best way to protect the Territory’s people and property.”
“We as a public service are going to continue to prioritise the safety and security of our people and our public assets. This means that we should all be preparing ourselves to carry out all the necessary precautions as this storm approaches our area,” Mr. Archer Jr added.
The Premier also expressed his commitment to the Territory’s mission to Be Ready as the peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season continues.
Premier Fahie said, “We have been blessed to be spared so far this season, but we as a Territory also need to be like Noah and do the work to build our ark so we can be ready for whatever storms might come our way. While we hope and pray that Tropical Storm Jerry would pass us to the north as forecast, we also want to prepare in case the storm tracks closer to us or strengthens into a major hurricane. I would strongly encourage everyone in the territory to reflect on what last-minute supplies they may need to purchase or repairs they can carry out tomorrow so that no one is caught off guard should we start to feel the effects on Friday.”
The NDMC meeting was also attended by members of Cabinet: Deputy Premier and Minister of Natural Resources and Labour, Vincent Wheatley; Minister of Transportation, Works and Utilities Kye Rymer; Minister of Health and Social Development Carvin Malone; and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture Natalio Wheatley.
