NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (August 21, 2020) – The following is a statement from Mr. Brian Dyer, Director of the Nevis Disaster Management Department (NDMD) on the status of the passage of Tropical Storm Laura.
I am here to bring you an urgent update with regards to the status of Tropical Storm Laura formally Tropical Depression 13.
At 11 a.m. the National Hurricane Center has issued an update for Tropical Storm Laura. At 11 a.m. the position 17.0North 60.2West or about 290 miles to the East-South-East of the Northern Leeward Islands. Maximum sustained winds are 45 miles per hour (mph). Present movement: West or 270 degrees at 18 mph. Minimum Central Pressure: 1007 MB.
With a comparison from the 5 a.m. position, Tropical Storm Laura has moved south and west from its 5’0 clock position, which brings it directly into line with St. Kitts and Nevis and the Northern Leeward Islands.
In layman’s language, on its present track Tropical Storm Laura is expected to pass very close to the north or overhead or slightly to the south of St. Kitts and Nevis around 8 p.m. tonight. So we expect the weather conditions to deteriorate rapidly as the storm approaches St. Kitts and Nevis.
Again, it is likely to pass overhead of St. Kitts and Nevis or just to the south or to the north of the island at 8 p.m. tonight.
Weather conditions: We expect to have some thunder and lightning as the afternoon progresses, and into the evening we expect rain showers. The forecast calls for rainfall 1 to 3 inches and isolated amounts in some areas especially in the mountainous areas 5 inches.Persons, again, living in low lying areas are asked to pay specific attention to your surroundings. If you live close to ghauts or waterways, these can be overflowing during periods of heavy rainfall. Continuous rainfall will bring saturation, and then you will have flooding, street flow etcetera.
So again, I am appealing to persons in the low-lying areas: Lower Bath, Stoney Grove, Ramsbury, Cotton Ground, Cades Bay, Pond Hill, and New Castle, those areas are prone to flooding. Please ensure that you are aware of your surroundings and take precautionary measures to safeguard your life and property from flooding and from damage.
Again, continue to listen to the national radio station ZIZ and VON Radio for information from the Met Services on St. Kitts and Nevis, the Nevis Disaster Management Department and the National Disaster Management Agency.
The Nevis Disaster Management Department and the Emergency Operations Centre will be operational during the passage of Tropical Storm Laura. The numbers to call if you are impacted: 469-1423, 469-7903, 469-0351, 469-4030, 469-1922, 469-5449, 469-0995, 469-0696, and 469-7490. You can also contact VON Radio: 469-1616, 469-1700 to relay the information to the Disaster Management Department but our phones would be manned during the passage of Tropical Storm Laura.
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