Hurricane Irene impacting the Turks and Caicos Islands and Bahamas

Message: Hurricane Irene a Category 1 storm is impacting the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hurricane warnings are in effect for southeastern, central and northwestern Bahamas

Event

The Government wishes to announce that all schools and public offices throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands will be closed on Friday 5th November 2010 in anticipation of adverse weather associated with the passage in the area of Tropical Storm Tomas.

A hurricane warning has been issued for the TCI which means the islands may begin experiencing hurricane conditions, including strong winds, heavy rains and sea surges within the next 24-36 hours. Residents of all islands are urged to monitor the progress of the

Between August and November 2008, many islands across the Caribbean were hit by a series of hurricanes, which caused deaths and severe damage to infrastructure. In the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), which were battered by hurricanes Hanna and Ike, hundreds of people lost their homes and around 7,000 people were affected. Fortunately, there was no loss of life.

The British Red Cross launched an appeal

Grand Turk and South Caicos were declared Disaster Areas after Ike a Category Four Hurricane and Tropical Storm Hanna moved across the TCI early last month. The population was severely affected

Last Sunday the hurricane, packing winds in excess of 140 miles per hour, bore down on the low-lying islands damaging over 80 per cent of homes, schools and other public buildings on the Grand Turk and South Caicos Islands, two of the islands in the northern Caribbean chain.

The category four hurricane, which followed

The Turks and Caicos, home to many Jamaicans, was hit by the powerful Category 4 Hurricane Ike on Sunday, September 7, destroying more than 80 percent of the homes. The hurricane also left the airport under water, downing power-lines and sweeping away every single boat.

Jamaica's response, is in keeping with its mandate under the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA)

The Event: Hurricane Ike impacts Turks and Caicos and the southern Bahamas islands as a Category four Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. A Hurricane Warning for Hurricane Ike (Category Three) remains in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas, including the Acklins Crooked Island, the Inaguas, Mayaguana, and the Ragged Islands, and for the central Bahamas including Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador. A Hurricane Warning

Hurricane Ike passed over the Turks and Caicos Islands on the night of the 6-7 September 2008 as a Category 4 hurricane. The Turks and Caicos Islands have six main inhabited islands and are located 550 miles southeast of Miami, Florida, just below the Bahamas chain and just to the east of Cuba and the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti.)

The most affected Island was Grand Turk, which has 4,000 inhabitants and South Caicos, where no information is available about its 1,000 inhabitants.

In Grand Turk, 348 people were in shelters.

THE EVENT

The CDERA Participating States of Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands were impacted by Tropical Weather Systems over the period August 23- September 8, 2008 that have left a trail of death, damage and destruction.

Trinidad and Tobago experienced heavy rainfall on August 23 and 27, and September 7 2008.

The intense rains and high winds caused extensive flash and riverine flooding, damage to roofs, fallen trees and