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----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2002 7:33 PM
Subject: SabaGIS - Thunderstorm Causes Mayhem
News Release
Prepared by Roddy Heyliger, Communications
Consultant for the Saba Government Information Service (SGIS), Island Territory
Government of Saba, Dutch West Indies
For Immediate Release: Friday, October 11,
2002
Thunderstorm Causes Mayhem
THE BOTTOM, Saba (SGIS) – Personnel from the
Public Works Department (DOW) and private contractors were busy on Friday
cleaning-up stones and sand that washed down from the hills on the public road
throughout different parts of the island.
Residents went about doing their errands while
businesses were open for business on Friday after several residents and business
owners were busy cleaning up on Thursday afternoon.
Head of DOW Hendrick Hassell told the Saba
Government Information Service (SGIS) on Friday that by Monday or Tuesday all
roads would have been cleaned up as his crews as they would be working through
the weekend to make sure that this was the case.
He added that the road leading to the Landfill,
about three-quarters of the road was washed away while the road leading to the
Fort Bay harbor had pockets of stones and sand debris at different
sections.
Hassell added that those were the two priority
areas at the moment that his personnel and private contractors were busy
with. Lt. Governor and Chairman of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
Antoine Solagnier, described the rain to SGIS as an “extreme
downpour.”
Solagnier added that the road to the Landfill
was a major concern for the Island Government and that a structural solution is
being looked at in order to make sure that the road does not wash away again
under these types of weather conditions. The Executive Council in a
meeting on Thursday afternoon approved the plans for the repair of the
road.
Solagnier and Commissioner Lisa Hassell along
with Police Major W. Victoria took a tour of part of the island on Thursday
afternoon to make an assessment. Commissioner Hassell who is responsible
for Public Health told SGIS that she had spent a good bit of time at the A.M.
Edwards Medical Center in The Bottom where three rooms were affected by the
heavy rainfall.
The thunderstorm of Thursday caused
mayhem. Within 90 minutes, parts of the island were drenched in 3.75
inches of rain. There were telecommunication as well as power
outages. Technicians flew in on Friday to work on restoring
telecommunications on top the 2,877-foot Mount Scenery.
Fire Chief Arthur Hassell told SGIS that on
Friday morning he was still out of electricity since Thursday, adding that a
number of electricity transformers were struck by lightning.
Hassell also stated that he had heard several
reports of hale from persons residing in the village of Hell’s Gate. The
generator at the Airport Terminal was also damaged from a lightning
strike.
Flooding reports also came in about the Barclays
Bank and the Yellow Store in the village of Windwardside. Lt. Governor
Solagnier stated that the area where the flooding took place needs urgent
attention and that the government will look into possible
solutions.
Several homes were also flooded while many
appliances such as TVs, Telephones, and Video Players were seriously damaged or
destroyed due to the lightning.
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Roddy Heyliger
Communications
Consultant
Saba Government Information Service (SGIS)
Roddy Heyliger
Communications
Consultant
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D.W.I.
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