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NEMA’s tips and advisories on floods and tornadoes

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NASSAU, The Bahamas – The National Emergency Management Agency has issued safety tips and advisories to educate residents on how to protect themselves in the event floods or tornadoes happen in their communities.It only takes a few minutes for rising water to become a flood. Hence, family members are being encouraged work together to develop a family plan so that the adults and the children know what to do.

This entails knowing how you are going to leave your house, where you going to, who you are going to and what items you are going to take with you.

When a watch is issued, residents must be ready to take action. When a flood warning is given, flooding has been reported and residents should take necessary precautions and actions at once.

Here are the following safety tips:

  • Learn the safest route from your home or business to higher ground, if you have to leave in a hurry.
  • Identify meeting place should you become separated.
  • Have itemized list of valuables and important documents in a safe place.
  • Plan to keep your pets in a safe environment.
  • Find out whether you are in a flood-prone area so as to determine whether you have to evacuate prior to the weather system.
  • Keep sandbags, plywood, plastic sheeting and lumber handy for emergency waterproofing.

Residents are also cautioned that during the flood, to monitor the weather advisories issued by NEMA through the local radio and TV stations. Also, be aware of where emergency shelters are located. Disconnect electrical supplies and do not touch if wet or if standing in water.

Should residents have to move about, travel with care and do not attempt to sightsee, or drive over a flooded road. Do not underestimate the destructive path of fast-moving water.

After the flood, continue to listen to the radio or TV stations for instructions from NEMA. And upon entering your property, do not turn on electrical appliances until an electrician has checked the system and appliances. Also, throw away all food or medicines that have come into contact with floodwaters. Additionally, water is to be tested and boiled before drinking.

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Waterlogged Nassau inundated with rain; schools closed and vacations soggy

TORNADOES

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which NEMA subscribes to, basements and interior rooms are the safest places to be during a tornado.

A tornado watch is issued when conditions are favourable for producing one. Look for dark often-greenish sky, a wall cloud and large hail may appear.

Also look and listen for:

  • Strong winds. Frequent and intense lightning, and aloud roar like a jet or train.
  • A bulge like a circular motion at the base of the thunderstorm cloud.

Choose rooms on the northern and east sides of your shelter or home if no interior rooms are available. Take shelter within the bathtub.

Residents are to always wear shoes to protect their feet. Protect head and chest and crouch face to floor with hands behind their heads.

Other protective measures are to hide under study furniture. At schools, a shelter should be designated in interior rooms or hallways on the ground floor or lowest floor. In shopping malls, avoid large open rooms and seek smaller interior shops on the ground floor.

If residents are outside, seek shelter in a substantial structure, ditch or gutter.

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DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM REGULATIONS INTRODUCES “RATE YOUR RIDE” SYSTEM FOR TOURISTS VISITING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

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FROM THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM

 

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 27th March, 2024 – Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands: The Department of Tourism Regulations is proud to unveil the “Rate Your Ride” system, a new initiative designed to enhance the vacation experience for tourists exploring our picturesque islands.

The “Rate Your Ride” system empowers tourists to provide valuable feedback on the quality of transportation services they receive while visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands. Through an easy-to-use online form, tourists can rate factors such as cleanliness, comfort, safety, and professionalism of drivers, helping us to assure the highest quality of service standards across all modes of transportation.

By participating in the “Rate Your Ride” system, tourists play a crucial role in shaping the future of transportation services in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Their feedback will enable us to identify areas for improvement and ensure that every visitor enjoys safe, comfortable, and convenient travel throughout their stay in the Turks and Caicos.

The code will also be publicly accessible through the cooperation of volunteer drivers who will make the rating code available in their vehicles. Flyers and stickers displaying the code will be distributed at hotels, resorts and airports. The mandated display of these codes is expected to align with the rollout of our tourism regulations in 2025.

For more information about the “Rate Your Ride” system and other initiatives by the Department of Tourism Regulations, please visit gov.tc/tourismregulations/or contact us via telephone at 946-4970 and email at tourismregulations@gov.tc.

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THE DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH SERVICES CONDEMNS RECORDING OF PERSONS WHO ARE IN CRISIS

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FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

 

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 27th March 2024– The Department of Behavioral Health Services is appealing to the general public to refrain from recording and circulating videos of persons who may appear to be experiencing a mental health crisis. Anyone can experience a mental health crisis at some point in their life. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem in any given year. Persons may struggle with very common conditions such as Anxiety and Depression or be diagnosed with more serious conditions like Bipolar Disorder or Psychosis.

“There are a lot of misunderstandings about various mental health conditions and how they may manifest. In addition, there are a number of negative perceptions and misconceptions that society exhibits towards people with mental health problems. However, just as we would show care and concern for someone diagnosed with Cancer, or any other physical illness, in the same way, we need to be as caring and helpful to persons with mental illnesses”– stated Director of the Department of Behavioral Health Services, Dr. Alicia Malcolm.

The Department is urging the public to call the following numbers if you see someone who appears to be experiencing a mental health crisis:

338-5473/338-3616: Providenciales, North or Middle Caicos

338-3614/338-3612: Grand Turk, South Caicos, Salt Cay

338-6301: Nights and Weekends

If someone is putting themselves or someone else in immediate, serious risk of harm, call 911.

The Department of Behavioral Health services is here to help and provides the following services which are free and confidential:

Location of above services:

o             Sam Harvey Building, Down Town, Providenciales,

o             Primary Health Care Department, Cheshire Hall Medical Center, Providenciales 

o             Department of Behavioural Health, Duncombe Alley, Grand Turk

 

Let’s all do our part in creating a community where people with mental health problems feel respected, supported and cared for. 

For additional information, please visit the Ministry of Health’s Facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/tciministryofhealth/ or the Department of Behavioral Health Services Faceebook on https://www.facebook.com/TCIDBHS/.

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Breaking Ground: TCI Could Lead in Regional Communication Standards

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Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom, 27th March 2024: The PR, marketing, and communications sector is poised for potential growth and could lead the Caribbean region in terms of industry standards says Damian Wilson. Wilson’s suggestion comes after the release of a new research report into the current trends and future direction of the sector as a possible emerging industry in the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).

Wilson is the report’s author, which conveys the findings of research which he initiated. “One of the key research results is the considerable optimism by industry practitioners and government alike, with persons seeing growth potential. I believe that we can become regional leaders in this field. I believe that one of the initiatives that could be used to do this is by establishing a ‘TCI Centre of Communications Excellence’ within the TCI Community College. Such an institute would be dedicated to communication and media innovation with a particular focus on digital communications and ICT,” says Wilson.

He further explained, “I believe that the PR, marketing, and communications sector, like much of the country, is at a crossroads and could have an even greater impact on our socio-economic fabric. Some may have concerns about our small size, but I believe this makes us far more agile than our neighbours. All in all, any potential growth must be underpinned by new investments, professional development, and a strategy to integrate the sector into the broader economy.”

Wilson also said that he sees his research as a first step in understanding our own industry sectors in the TCI and would love to see more profound research and analysis conducted. He’s hoping that the report will spark discussion along those lines. The report is entitled ‘Current Trends and Future Direction: A Preliminary Report on the PR, Marketing, and Communications Sector in the Turks & Caicos Islands’. Anyone wanting a copy of the report can contact Damian Wilson via his email, damian.wilson.pr@gmail.com.

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