Governor Franklyn Richards Chairman of the Island’s Disaster Emergency Management Organization, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), would like to commend the Belvedere Homeowners and Tenants Association (BHOTA) for organizing what has been termed a successful clean-up of its district in preparation for the 2009 hurricane season.
BHOTA was assisted by a number of other community organizations with the clean-up that included the clearing of drains, removal of debris, car wrecks and the collection of 115 garbage bags of household debris.
Governor Richards is appealing to community organizations and councils in other districts to take the same initiative by cleaning up their neighborhoods.
"We are now in the hurricane season. Residents are urged to make appropriate preparations. Even though hurricane forecasters are predicting a near normal 2009 hurricane season, it only takes one hurricane to do damage and make it a bad season for the island.
"Preparations for a hurricane are not only an individual effort, but a collective one. A hurricane does not hit St. Peters and leave Simpson Bay unscathed. The entire island is impacted. It’s better to prepare early.
"It becomes stressful to wait until the last minute to prepare for a hurricane. To avoid this, start preparing from now," Governor Richards told the Government Information Service (GIS) on Friday.