The Office of Disaster Management which falls under the Fire Department (Ministry of General Affairs) headed by Fire Chief/Disaster Coordinator Clive Richardson, is calling on residents to be prepared this hurricane season, especially taking note that the first storm of the season – Alex – formed on Sunday.
Tropical Storm Alex which dissipated on Monday night after passing to the north of Bermuda, is a stark reminder that the hurricane season is here.
The Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Atmospheric Science has updated its preliminary forecast of April with a new forecast early June, that calls for a well above-average Atlantic basin hurricane season.
The number of named storms forecasted by the CSU based on their April 7, 2022, forecast was: 19 named storms (CSU June forecast calls for 20); of which nine (9) (CSU June forecast up to 10) could become hurricanes; and of those nine, four (4) (CSU June forecast five (5) could become major hurricanes of Category 3+.
The community is urged to learn more about hurricane hazards and how to prepare for a storm/hurricane strike by visiting the Government website: www.sintmaartengov.org/hurricane where you will be able to download your “Hurricane Season Readiness Guide’ and “Hurricane Tracking Chart.”
Disaster Coordinator Richardson is also calling on the business community to review their plans for the upcoming season and to be ready to act when the need arises – storm ready!
The storm names for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season are:
Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Ian, Julia, Karl, Lisa, Martin, Nicole, Owen, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tobias, Virginie, and Walter.
Listen to the Government Radio station SXMGOV – 107.9FM – for official information and news before, during and after a hurricane.
For official weather-related information, check out the website of the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS): www.meteosxm.com