News
TCI Gets New Meteorological Centre
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, September 2, 2022 – For the first time ever the Turks and Caicos Islands has weather updates from a department of its own.
History was made with the launching of the Turks and Caicos’ Department of Meteorology recently, and Director of Meteorology at the TCI Airports Authority Dr. Holly Hamilton spoke to Magnetic Media about the newly minted two-man team, and how the Turks and Caicos will benefit because of it.
“We are a very small team, but we are active. Currently, we mostly provide meteorological services to the aviation sector since we are an aeronautical meteorological office, however, we provide some meteorological information to the public and DDME for early warning purposes.”
One of those early warnings was issued early this week as a tropical disturbance makes its way closer to the Turks and Caicos. Hamilton said that recent advisory is an example of the type of information and collaboration the public can expect from the Met Department and the Department of Disaster Management & Emergencies (DDME) going forward.
“We wanted to make the public aware that there was a tropical disturbance out there that could potentially pose a threat to the TCI, and that the responsible agencies were monitoring the situation. It is all about Early Warning and Early Action.”
The team utilizes automatic weather stations installed at some of the airports and weather stations that the DDME has installed throughout the country to make their predictions. 
“We have been issuing 3-day Public Forecasts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for about a month now” she said
These public forecasts can be accessed on all the DDMEs social media platforms and the DDME Alert App. The work of the Met Department will continue beyond the hurricane season with these forecasts”, Hamilton says. Additionally, more localized information specific to the TCI will be shared, especially in the event that a tropical cyclone is threatening the islands with major input from Hamilton herself.
“As a tropical meteorologist, I now bring my knowledge of and experience with these tropical systems to the table. The tropical cyclone warning and advisories will still be issued by the Bahamas Department of Meteorology (an arrangement made by the WMO). However, as the Director of Meteorology, I will be involved in the decision-making process on the tropical cyclone advisories for the TCI.”
In terms of growth, Hamilton and INSERT will soon be joined by a meteorological assistant, and the long-term vision she says, is for the Department to grow into a National Weather Service with more automatic weather stations to build the weather observation network in the TCI.
The government is now in the process of developing a National Strategic Plan for meteorological services and Framework for Weather, Water and Climate Services in the Turks and Caicos Islands, with the assistance of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO).
In order to grow though, Hamilton said that they will need human capital and the Met Department will be looking to recruit persons for training soon to help build its ranks .
“Any young person who has interests in weather and climate can reach out to me and we can discuss how you can become the next Meteorological Observer, Forecaster, or Meteorologist in the TCI.”
You can contact Dr. Holly at hollyhamilton@tciairports.com
February is National Self- Check Month and family medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic, OH, John Hanicak, MD, highlights why at home self-checks are extremely important when it comes to not just early cancer detection but identifying other illnesses too and offers tips on what to look out for.
“Sometimes I look at them as sort of like your check engine light on the car, just like there would be a red flashing light that tells you that
there’s something wrong with a car and prompts you to bring that in and get serviced. Your body does the same thing. It gives you warning signs to look into that symptom a little bit further,” said Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak said self-checks are going to be a little different for everyone.
However, in general, he recommends looking for anything that may seem abnormal, such as unexplained weight loss, blood in your urine, bumps and bruises that won’t heal, and changes in bowel habits.
For example, if you suddenly start going to the bathroom a lot more than you used to, that could be a sign of something more serious.
He also suggests doing regular skin checks and documenting any moles or spots that start to look different.
“Realize that you are your own person. There’s nobody else in the world exactly like you. You’ve got your own set of ideas, your own family history and your own genetics. Know what is normal for you, and when that changes, that’s the kind of thing that we would be interested in talking about,” said Dr. Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak notes that self-checks are not meant to replace cancer screenings, as those are just as important to keep up with.
Press Release: Cleveland Clinic
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
