Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, April 18, 2024 – NINE days after he was last seen, police have reported Edgar Miguel Veloz Tirado, a visitor to the Turks and Caicos Islands, missing.

Many are stunned at the time which has elapsed since the man was last seen alive – which was Monday April 8 – and have been vocal on social media.

When Magnetic Media queried the delay in reporting that the man had never returned to a jet ski operator with his rental, we were told Police were alerted when the owner lodged a report with the RTCIPF Police Control Room, that he rented a black and yellow jet ski to Mr. Tirado to visit a cay, which is a small island.

Neither the jet ski nor Edgar Tirado returned at the agreed time and nine days later, the Turks and Caicos community is being asked to help.  Police put out a MISSING PERSON alert on Wednesday April 17 and up to Thursday midday, there had been no feedback about the missing man.

Magnetic Media learned from the TCI Police, officers discovered the missing person had not checked out of a rented villa, and his belongings were still there.

Despite questions pressing the police on this bizarre case, there was no new information on the 41 year old Dominican who has not been seen since.

Dana Malcolm 
Staff Writer 

We are living in the hottest times ever recorded by mankind, according to new data shared by Copernicus Climate Change Service, (C3S). It’s not just a warmer season, climate records continue to topple like dominoes in a concerning and for many, frightening trend that could have consequences for the Turks and Caicos.

“March 2024 was warmer globally than any previous March in the data record, with an average surface air temperature 10°C above the previous high set in March 2016. This is the tenth month in a row that is the warmest on record for the respective month of the year” the C3S revealed.

To some, that might mean getting a new fan, having AC installed, or spending some extra days at the beach. But in some of the coldest places on earth sheets of ice are melting, contributing to sea level rise, and affecting the Caribbean.

Countries below sea level are most at risk, at the forefront of those calculations is the Turks and Caicos. A November 2023 report cited the TCI, Bahamas, Jamaica, and Cayman,  as facing sea level rise by the end of the century. In that report, the UNDP estimates that without shoreline defenses more than 5 percent of the Turks and Caicos Islands will disappear completely below the ocean. This is the prognosis for The Bahamas, BVI, and Cayman as well.

“The displacement of millions of people and the disruption of economic activity in major business hubs could introduce new elements of instability and increase competition for resources,” the UNDP warned.

The continued temperature records aren’t helping.

“Antarctic sea ice extent was 20% below average, the sixth lowest extent for March in the satellite data record,” the Copernicus Service explains, though in some areas there was more ice than we have seen for several years, it’s not enough to stave off the continued melting.

NASA explains that because floating ice is made of fresh water, it increases sea level slightly when it melts into the salty sea, but its melting ice on land like glaciers that fall into the ocean, and the expansion of seawater as it warms, contribute most to sea level rise.

For coastal countries, this means land loss and for islands, it is a major concern. Already global sea level has risen about 8 inches (0.2 meters) since reliable record-keeping began in 1880 according to NASA . In a 2024 report the space agency said by 2100, scientists project that the sea will rise at least another foot (0.3 meters), but possibly as high as 6.6 feet (2 meters)

When Magnetic Media used the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Sea Level Rise Simulator it didn’t show what would happen to the Turks and Caicos or the Bahamas, but it did have data on Florida which lies just an hour off the coast of Freeport, Bahamas. With only 1 foot of water rise, areas like Key West were completely covered.

The UNDP however,  says there is hope and urges countries to treat the prediction as a call to action rather than an inevitability, as shoreline defences and climate action have the potential to prevent these changes.

MEDIA RELEASE

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands, April 17, 2024 – “Thousands have lived without love, but no one has ever lived without water,” according to poet, W. H. Auden. More than 500 students and teachers at the Enid Capron Primary School in Providenciales stand to benefit from a 750 gallons filtration water tank system valued at almost US$15,000 courtesy of the Sandals Foundation, Beaches Turks and Caicos and SIP Water, distributers of ICON LifeSaver®. The system that was recently installed will be able to use harvested rain water along with its ultra-filtered system to provide potable water.

This project had SIP Water, which is the Caribbean Distributors for ICON LifeSaver®, install and commission the system which was handed over to the administrators of the Sandals Foundation adopted school. ICON LifeSaver® is a British company providing some of the safest, potable water purification solutions in the world through supporting organisations.

Paul Girling, Director of SIP Water says, “This system is able to change untreated, contaminated water into ultra-pure, micro-biologically clean drinking water.  Its multi-filtration system removes all micro plastics, bacteria, protozoan cysts and viruses to a minimum level of 99.99% without the need for any electricity or chemicals”.

Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Social Services and Member of Parliament for the Five Cays area, Hon. Rachel Taylor was present as the system was commissioned. “This is a landmark achievement for the school and the community of Five Cays. This location is an emergency shelter and with the Atlantic Hurricane season not far away, having this in place will serve our students well and by extension, the community. We are grateful for the continued partnership with Sandals Foundation and Beaches Turks and Caicos in giving back to the Turks and Caicos Islands,” Taylor shared.

Beaches Turks and Caicos Managing Director, James McAnally shared, “this project is a giant step towards ensuring the basic necessities in our community are safe and sustainable.  We continue to grow and look at new ways to serve in the areas of education, the community and the environment. This tank will go a long way in helping to improve the quality of life of the children and faculty in the Five Cays community especially during times of disaster.”

Principal at Enid Capron Primary School, Sophia Garland elatedly shared, “our students’ health will be improved as they consume more water daily. This system will provide for us a level of sustainability throughout the school and the community. As an educational institution, we continue to celebrate partnerships with corporate entities that seek to support key infrastructural needs of the students, staff and wider community.”

The ICON LifeSaver® product is environmentally friendly. As a leader in sustainability, this will help in the reduction of plastic bottles. The filters are reusable and typically have a 1-2 year span. This is a patented ultra-filtration technology which is independently tested to the highest portable water standards.

Captions:

Header: Paul Girling (left), director of SIP Water, Sophia Garland (2^nd left), principal of the Enid Capron Primary school, Hon. Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Social Services, and Joe Lovegrove, Operations and Technical Director of LifeSaver gave thumbs up sign to the completion of the project.

1st insert: Joe Lovegrove, Operations and Technical Director for LifeSaver takes his time to insert one of the six filters that the filtration system that was recently installed and commissioned at the Enid Capron Primary School.

2nd insert: Enid Capron Primary School teachers share a moment with the ICON team following the successful completion of the installation of the water filtration system with Paul Girling (left) director of SIP Water and Joe Lovegrove Operations and  Technical Director for LifeSaver.