Skerrit: Dominica government taking Hurricane Irma seriously

Last updated: September 5, 2017 at 8:54 am

The prime minister of Dominica has appeared on the radio reassuring citizens that his government is taking Hurricane Irma seriously.

The island is currently under a tropical storm watch, which means tropical storm conditions could affect the area within 48 hours.

“We do not know what this weather system is going to do to our country and therefore the action which we have and which we can take, we should take them,” said Roosevelt Skerrit, speaking on DBS radio yesterday afternoon.

“We should take precautionary measures. [The] government is taking this storm very seriously.”

According to the latest information, the centre of Hurricane Irma is around 360 miles (575km) east of the Leeward Islands.

It is travelling west at 13mph (20kmph).

FULL HURRICANE IRMA LATEST HERE

Skerrit: Public need to prepare

During his interview, the prime minister said that members of the public should be in an advanced state of preparations in case the storm takes a turn for the worse.

The island cannot take a multi-million dollar damage bill if the storm takes hold of Dominica.

“I do not want us to go and say ‘well, it’s going further north and is away from Dominica’. The storm can move directions within half an hour, within an hour, within half a day, within a day and therefore we need to prepare and prepare properly,” Skerrit said.

Yesterday, a National Emergency Planning Organization meeting took place, and later in the day Skerrit said that action was being taken “at all levels” because “as the prime minister of this country, I am not taking this storm lightly at all.”