Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and the Environment, Senator Samantha
Marshall, is emphasizing the need for all to be prepared as the 2023 Atlantic
Hurricane Season gets on the way.
In an address to mark the June 1 start of the hurricane season, Sen. Marshall
stressed the importance of preparation, as it only takes one storm to completely
upend the lives of residents of the country.
“We must remember that it was only one tropical system in September 1995
namely Hurricane Luis that wreaked havoc on our nation and that beyond the
physical damage, the mental and emotional effects continued to be felt many years
later, if not up to the present by some. It was only one system a few years ago in
September 2017, namely Hurricane Irma that decimated our beautiful sister island
of Barbuda, and though the recovery was challenging we rebounded well,” the
minister recalled.
Marshall noted that as a nation, and people, Antiguans and Barbudans have shown
much resilience to be able to rebound from adversity, whether natural or otherwise.
“However, these feats should not replace our need to be consistently prepared for
hurricanes or any other natural hazards. This was quite evident in the flooding of
November 2020 which caught many of us by surprise, as we were suddenly
inundated by large volumes of rainfall within a short time.”
“Though it brought some temporary relief to our ongoing drought situation it also
created some damage to some of our housing stock, road networks, and drains to
name a few. Let us not be complacent but be in a state of readiness, as we journey
into the hurricane season and beyond,” she cautioned.
Marshall noted that the predictions for this hurricane season have stated that an
above-normal season is likely. Whatever the predictions are, she continued, it only
takes one to impact the country and to change the course of personal and economic
growth and prosperity, which everyone aims to achieve.
“We as a nation and people have since learned from the many lessons identified
after the impact of each disaster. We have since rebuilt better and stronger, and we
have educated our people on the preparation and response mechanisms that are
currently in place to deal with any eventuality,” she explained.
In conclusion, Sen. Marshall restated the need for all to begin preparations for the
hurricane season immediately. She added that assistance can be sought through the
National Office of Disaster Services (NODS), which takes pride in providing the
public and members of the various communities with the necessary information for
them to be disaster prepared.
