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Caribbean nations are stepping up preparations for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season amid predictions that it will be an intense one, with up to 25 named storms likely to form off the West African coast in the coming months during a simmering heatwave in the region.
Officials at the Barbados-based Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) say that the past year of intense El Nino heat across the Caribbean will only contribute to a trickier than usual storm season. CDEMA has stepped up training and procurement of emergency equipment to help any member nation in need.
“Sea surface temperatures in the eastern and central Atlantic are currently at record warm levels and are anticipated to remain well above average for the upcoming hurricane season, and what that means is that we have a dynamic environment that is not only conducive for cyclone formation, but also for intensification,” said CDEMA boss Liz Riley. “Of very key importance to us is the possibility of rapid intensification, so I think this is something we have to remain very much focused on as we traverse this year’s hurricane season.”
The warnings from the umbrella agency come just weeks after the 39-nation Small Island and Developing Nations (SIDS) group held its summit in the eastern Caribbean state of Antigua. Nearly every delegation called for western and other countries, which are contributing to global warming, sea-level rises, and other major aspects of climate change, be made to pay for their actions, which are affecting other countries negatively.
The season commenced at the beginning of June and will run until the end of November, and is also being monitored in the wake of a recent ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea that emissions from fossil fuels and other gases amount to pollution once they are absorbed by oceans.
Delivered by the Germany-based body in late May, the ruling has represented a major victory for small states which have been fighting to make the more powerful polluting states involve themselves in climate justice by compensating SIDS member nations for damages from climate changes. The ruling is not legally binding, but leaders like Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua say the opinion gives them ammunition to continue the fight for climate justice.
Antigua, St. Vincent, and several islands in the Pacific region, themselves under severe threat from sea-level rises, had brought the case to the tribunal as a first step in their major showdown with developed nations.
“This test case is the starting point of many more legal rulings and sanctions to come, as large ocean territories continue the legal and political fight for their survival,” Vincentian Sustainable Development Minister Carlos James told reporters recently. “This is definitely a step in the right direction and it pushes the door further open for us to legally challenge the major emitters on their failure to act in averting a global climate crisis.”
As SIDS nations bask in the glory of the ruling, the regional disaster agency says it is taking no chances because all indications point to an unusual, if not dangerous, season this year.
An additional 31 experts have been trained to work out of the disaster relief unit, and a 60-person crew is on standby as a search and rescue team in the event that any nation is affected by a storm. A total of 14 emergency operators also form part of the emergency system that is already in place.
“We have nine additional Starlink internet satellite terminals and six solar generators for use by our teams,” said Riley. “We have also expanded the number of cellphones and laptops for deployment, and have 20 GPS units and additional power supplies. This is very important because communication is usually one of the critical areas impacted after events.”
