National Disaster Coordinator/Fire Chief Clive Richardson from the Office of Disaster Management (ODM), is appealing to the community to remain alert and vigilant and to closely monitor the approach of Tropical Storm Philippe which is forecast to pass close to the country over the weekend.
Tropical Storm Philippe on Wednesday was located, according to the Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten (MDS), at 5:00 PM approximately 600 miles east of the country.
On the forecast track, the center of the system is predicted to pass approximately 30 miles north of Sint Maarten at its closest point on Sunday. Residents and visitors are urged to monitor the progress of this system and look forward to updates from MDS. MDS has issued a small craft advisory which is in effect until further notice.
Philippe is forecast to weaken this weekend.
A Tropical Wave located in the eastern Atlantic Ocean has a 90 per cent chance of developing into a tropical depression in the next couple of days. Residents and visitors are advised to monitor the progress of this system. For official weather-related information, check out the website of MDS: www.meteosxm.com or visit their social media page Facebook.com/sxmweather/
The Sint Maarten community is urged to learn more about hurricane hazards and resources you need on how to prepare your family, home, or business for a storm/hurricane strike by visiting the Government website: www.sintmaartengov.org/hurricane where you will be able to download your “Hurricane Season Readiness Guide’ and “Hurricane Tracking Chart.” The information here is also valuable for new residents.