6th October 2010 – 8PM – A Flash Flood Warning remains in effect for the Virgin Islands until 6AM Thursday. A Flash Flood Warning is issued when a flash flood is imminent or occurring in the warned area. A flash flood is a sudden, violent flood after a heavy rain. A flash flood watch remains in effect until Wednesday afternoon.
At 5:00 pm Tropical Disturbance was upgraded to subtropical storm Otto. The center of Otto was located near latitude 23.2 north longitude 68.3 west. The storm is moving toward the north near 5 mph and this general motion is expected to continue tonight. A gradual turn toward the north-northeast and the northeast accompanied by an increase in forward speed are forecast on Thursday. On the forecast track Otto is expected to remain well to the east of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos islands.
While the center of this system is not expected to impact any land areas, it continues to produce widespread heavy rainfall across much of the northeastern Caribbean Sea. Additional heavy rain remains likely over the next day or two. The U.S. and British Virgin Islands can expect 2 to 4 inches more through tomorrow, with isolated totals as high as 8 inches. Additional periods of heavy rain will still be possible on Friday and early Saturday but it should become more isolated in nature. Flooding will continue to remain the greatest hazard from Otto.
So far the DDM has recorded 16 inches of rain since Tuesday afternoon at its station at MacNamara.
Today His Excellency, the Governor Mr. Boyd McCleary issued a state of emergency for the Territory in a 4:00 pm press conference held at DDM.
4 shelters have been opened up to accommodate displaced residents that may be affected by flooding. The Ministry of Health and Social Development is strongly encouraging persons who feel that they can be negatively impacted by flooding to seek shelter early. The opened shelters are the Road Town Methodist Church Hall, the Long Trench Community Centre, Mount Carmel Baptist Church and the Agapé Total Life Centre
DDM will continue to monitor this system and provide releases as necessary. Please visit the Department of Disaster Management’s website at www.bviddm.com for continuously updated information.
