NMEAD urges citizens to be vigilant and prepare for storm system

By The Star Staff

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned over the weekend of an atmospheric system that could impact weather conditions in Puerto Rico between Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

“We are approaching the peak of the hurricane season, and the forecast announced in May is that we will have a ‘hyperactive’ season,” Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Administration (NMEAD) Commissioner Nino Correa Filomeno said Saturday. ‘We must have our individual, family and community plans ready for any emergency. In this case, people cannot disconnect from the media and must be alert to NWS bulletins.”

NWS meteorologist and warnings coordinator Ernesto Morales said the atmospheric system could cause rains, floods, landslides and dangerous maritime conditions. If it develops into a named storm, it will be called Ernesto.

“The main models related to this system place it passing through our area between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday,” Morales said. “There is still no certainty about its potential. Still, we are observing it to establish a forecast regarding its development and intensity. Every year, we have hurricane season, and now that we are at the peak and the sea temperature is extremely warm, we will be seeing more events that will be approaching the Caribbean and we have to be vigilant and prepared. This is just the beginning.”

Orlando Olivera, the coordinator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Puerto Rico, stated: “We must remain attentive to the recommendations and official information shared by specialists on this topic.”

“Make your preparations and review your plans. Remember to prepare your family, and check to see if your older neighbors need help preparing,” he said. “Our agency works daily, hand in hand with [NMEAD] and the government of Puerto Rico, and is ready to support them, if necessary.”

Public Safety (DSP) Secretary Alexis Torres Ríos and Correa Filomeno noted that the DSP Bureau and the NMEAD operational zones would be activated to attend to any eventuality. The DSP Bureau communicates with the Municipal Emergency Management Offices of all municipalities and federal agencies.

In view of the possible impact of the system on the island, Canóvanas Mayor Lornna Soto Villanueva announced on Saturday that the municipality’s Emergency Operations Center (COE) executive committee had been activated.

“Given the possibility that this atmospheric system strengthens and impacts our area between Tuesday and Wednesday, I have made the decision to activate the COE Executive Committee to double-check and ensure that all municipal departments are coordinated and ready to respond to any eventuality, especially the support we provide to bedridden residents and elderly people with mobility problems and others,” the mayor said in a press release.