John Myers Jr., Staff Reporter
THE ISLAND has been placed on a hurricane watch as Tropical Storm Dennis continues to increase in strength and intensity while moving closer to the island. A hurricane watch means that the island could be affected by hurricane conditions within the next 36 hours.
Last night, Dr. Barbara Carby, director-general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), said the National Emergency Response Team had been placed on alert in preparation for the storm.
NATURAL SYSTEM
Dr. Carby called on parish disaster coordinators across the island to open emergency shelters that are in good condition, if necessary. "Everybody needs to be prepared because we are dealing with a natural system and even though they try to forecast the movement, we never know exactly what will happen. The entire country needs to be prepared," Dr. Carby emphasised.
The National Meteorological Service said last night that Tropical Storm Dennis was moving towards the west-northwest near 26 kilometres per hour and was expected to continue in this general motion over the next 24 hours.
At 7:00 p.m. yesterday, the centre of the storm was located near latitude 14.3 degrees north and 68.5 degrees west. This is about 900 kilometres east-south-east of Morant Point, St. Thomas.
"Maximum sustained winds have increased to 75 kilometres per hour with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours and the tropical storm could further develop into a hurricane today or tomorrow," the Met Service said in a bulletin issued at 8:00 p.m. last night. Tropical storm force winds extend up to 95 kilometres outward from the centre.
Based on the current projected path of Tropical Storm Dennis, the Met Service said the centre of the weather system was forecast to pass just off the north-eastern coast of Jamaica early Thursday morning, after passing south of Hispaniola last night into today. As a result, the island is expected to start experiencing deteriorating weather conditions from as early as this morning.
Bands of showers, thunderstorms and gusty winds associated with the system extend over 500 kilometres from the centre and are expected to begin affecting the island this morning, especially over eastern parishes and gradually spreading across the island. Extensive flash flooding and landslides are expected.
PM EXPRESSES CONCERN
Yesterday, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, who is attending a CARICOM summit in St. Lucia, expressed his regret at the possibility that the island might be hit by another hurricane so soon after Hurricane Ivan. In a statement issued to the media, Mr. Patterson said he has been "in direct contact with the management of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management and I have been assured that they have triggered the necessary arrangement and put in place the machinery to enable us to respond should we experience a hurricane."
He called upon Jamaicans to put in place measures to protect the elderly, infirm, the disabled and the young.
