The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) of the Virgin Islands has issued subsequent updates to their Tropical Storm warning issued early this morning August 1, 2014, saying that Tropical Storm Bertha – said to be headed to the Virgin Islands – has strengthened. Photo: DDM

“Fill up your gas tanks, make sure you have your medications, give special attention to children and persons with special needs such as elderly persons to ensure that you have whatever they need,” said Information and Education Manager of the DDM Philomena N. Robertson. Photo: DDM

A meeting is planned for 10:30 am today August 1, 2014 at the DDM with all of the relevant parties on the plans and preparations being made for the Tropical Storm. Image: Provided

“...after we have that meeting we would be in a better position then to say Territory-wide where we are and give an update on our preparedness actions and if anything has changed from the sites where we get information from,” said Deputy Director, DDM Evan T. Inniss. Photo: DDM

“At 2:00 pm [today August 1, 2014] the center of Tropical Storm Bertha was estimated near latitude 14.0 north longitude 60.3 west. Bertha is moving toward the west-northwest near 22 mph and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days,” the latest update bulletin from the DDM stated.

“On the forecast track Bertha is expected to pass near Martinique during the next several hours and move through the Northeastern Caribbean Sea tonight and approach The Virgin Islands on Saturday [tomorrow August 2, 2014],” the update said.

It said too that maximum sustained winds remain near 50 mph with higher gusts. “No significant change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours,” the bulletin said.

Speaking to Virgin Islands News Online today August 1, 2014, Information and Education Manager of the DDM Philomena N. Robertson said, “We had [a meeting with] representatives from several Government departments – the Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments and essentially we are in a state of readiness. The Departments should have already activated their disaster contingency plans and taken the necessary steps to secure equipment, vehicles, all of government assets. That is currently being done.”

She said too that persons are well advised to engage the protocols that they would have been advised of at the commencement of the hurricane season.

“There are preparations that persons should have already taken at this point and that is basically to ensure that you have a disaster survival kit…that should contain canned food, bottled water, juice, whatever medicines you need and those supplies should be for up to three days,” she said.

“Fill up your gas tanks, make sure you have your medications, give special attention to children and persons with special needs such as elderly persons to ensure that you have whatever they need,” said Robertson.

See previous story published on August 1, 2014:

Tropical Storm Bertha headed to the VI - DDM

ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) of the Virgin Islands has announced a Tropical Storm Warning for Bertha, heading to the Territory possibly within the next 24 hours.

According to the Department, the Antigua Met Office has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for the Virgin Islands. “A Tropical Storm Warning means that Tropical Storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area…in this case within the next 24 hours,” said a release from the Department today August 1, 2014.

Speaking to Virgin Islands News Online today, Evan T. Inniss, Deputy Director, Department of Disaster Management said that a meeting is planned for 10:30 am today August 1, 2014 with all of the relevant parties on the plans and preparations being made.

“We are actually going to have a meeting on the Operations Group led by the Acting Governor and that meeting will be at 10:30 where we would also be looking at the readiness actions of those critical agencies. We have actually done the callout to them and they are activating their plans because with this weather things could change pretty quickly as has been evident with this system, where it has gone from just a disturbance to a Tropical Storm in some hours,” she said.

“So after we have that meeting we would be in a better position then to say Territory-wide where we are and give an update on our preparedness actions and if anything has changed from the sites where we get information from,” said Inniss.

“We are going through the process of looking at some additional sites where we get our information from. But from what we have the information has not changed since,” said Inniss.

“At 5:00 am the center of Tropical Storm Bertha was estimated near latitude 13.0 north longitude 57.0 west. Bertha is moving toward the west-northwest near 20 mph and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days. On the forecast track Bertha is expected to pass near or north of Barbados this afternoon and move through the central Lesser Antilles tonight and into the northeastern Caribbean on Saturday,” the warning stated.

“Maximum sustained winds remain near 45 mph with higher gusts. No significant change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center,” the warning stated.

“The estimated minimum central pressure is 1008 mb,” it said.

With regards to hazards affecting land, the warning stated that tropical storm conditions are possible in the warning area in the Virgin Islands on Saturday resulting in higher than usual wind conditions. “Bertha is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches with isolated amounts up to 6 inches across portions of the Leeward Islands and the Virgin Islands through Saturday night,” the warning said.

“Residents are urged to monitor the system as it progresses. The Department of Disaster Management will continue to monitor TS Bertha and provide updates accordingly. Please visit www.bviddm.com and subscribe for updates,” the warning said.

Efforts by this news site to reach Director of Public Works Department Jeffrey M. Skelton for a comment on the preparations of his Department proved futile as he was said to be out at a meeting concerning the storm preparations.