Fire Chief and National Disaster Coordinator (NDC) of the Office of Disaster
Management (ODM) Clive Richardson, says with eight
named storms behind us, the Colorado State University
(CSU) Department of Atmospheric Science in its September
30, 3036 forecast for the next two weeks favors below-
normal storm formation activity.
Therefore, Richardson is calling on residents and the
business community to continue to remain vigilant and
monitor local weather reports from the Meteorological
Department of St. Maarten (MDS): www.meteosxm.com or
visit their social media page Facebook.com/sxmweather/
To-date there have so far been zero hurricanes for the
season.
At the moment we have seen eight named storms, namely,
Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, and Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo,
and Hanna, and not one of them ever reached hurricane
strength.
It only takes one tropical storm or hurricane passing near or
directly over the island to cause significant damage, disrupt
essential services, and threaten lives.
The Office of Disaster Management (ODM) therefore
reminds residents and the business community that
preparedness should never be based solely on seasonal
forecasts. Every hurricane season should be approached
with the same level of readiness, regardless of whether it is
forecast to be above normal, near normal, or below normal.
The remaining 2026 storm names are: Isaias, Josephine,
Kyle, Leah, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally,
Teddy, Vicky, and Wilfred.
The community is urged to learn more about hurricane
hazards and resources you need on how to prepare your
family, home, or business 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.” The information here is also
valuable for new residents.
Listen to the Government Radio station – SXMGOV 107.9FM
- for official information and news before, during and after a
hurricane. You can also follow weather related news and
information as well as national addresses by the Prime
Minister, chairperson of the Emergency Operations Center
(EOC) by going to @SXMGOV Facebook Page.
For official weather-related information, rely on forecasts
that can be found at the website of the Meteorological
Department of St. Maarten (MDS): www.meteosxm.com or
visit their social media page Facebook.com/sxmweather/
Remember, it only takes one hurricane to make it a bad
season. Remain vigilant and prepared!
The hurricane season runs through November 30.