Good evening everyone.
After the briefing I received in Cabinet this morning, on the developments and preparations surrounding Hurricane Milton, I wanted to speak directly with you.
At 6pm this evening, the Met Office issued its latest bulletin.
Hurricane Milton continues to strengthen as it approaches the western coast of Florida, and is currently a Category 5 hurricane.
The Met Office has upgraded the status for islands in the Northern Bahamas from a ‘Tropical Storm Watch’ to a ‘Tropical Storm Warning’.
This means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 36 hours on the islands of Abaco, Bimini and Grand Bahama, and the surrounding cays.
While the threat is not as significant as that of the hurricane threat posed to our neighbours in Florida, we still need to take it seriously.
Tropical storms are nothing new for us.
Year after year we are told how we must prepare, and ready ourselves and our homes to keep us all safe.
But we know how quickly things can change.
This storm in particular, has intensified extremely rapidly.
And so, within the next 24 hours, it is important that you do all that you can to stay safe.
The Disaster Risk Management Authority has issued detailed guidance on how best to prepare.
Please don’t wait.
If you haven’t already done so, start preparing immediately.
The Met Office advises that, as Hurricane Milton passes over Florida, tropical storm winds will be experienced on Abaco, Bimini and Grand Bahama, and the surrounding cays.
These islands have already experienced excessive rainfall since Sunday from another storm system.
And so the ground is already saturated with water.
Heavy rainfall has also been experienced on other islands in recent days, namely on Andros, The Berry Islands, New Providence and Eleuthera.
And now the rainfall from Hurricane Milton is expected to intensify, especially overnight on Wednesday.
The Met Office advises that as a result there is likely to be extensive flooding.
Take whatever precautions necessary to protect yourselves.
The Met Office also advises that from noon tomorrow, that is on Wednesday, heavy rainfall is also expected on those other islands: Andros, The Berry Islands, New Providence and Eleuthera.
Because of the heavy flooding which is expected to result from this, after consultation with the Minister of Education, I am announcing that all schools on those islands will be closed until Friday, for in-person teaching.
We do not want our young people having to navigate large areas of flooding while getting to and from school.
The Ministry of Education will provide further detailed guidance.
The Broadcast Alert System has already been activated on all mobile phones in the country.
Please pay attention to the alerts and follow the advice given.
ZNS and other news outlets will broadcast further alerts and updates as they are issued.
Stay tuned to official channels for updates from the Bahamas Department of Meteorology.
Friends:
For the past several months, I have held monthly meetings with the Disaster Risk Management Team.
Compared to what was in the past, the team has greatly enhanced the degree of national preparedness.
They are co-ordinating efforts across all sectors, to ensure that the agency is ready to respond swiftly and effectively.
I expect that those of you especially in Abaco and Grand Bahama may well find this time to be the cause of some anxiety.
Given the projected path of Hurricane Milton, and the fact that is not projected to make landfall in The Bahamas, there is no need for panic or alarm.
Even so, much has been learned and improved upon from past experiences.
One of the lessons is that it is better to take extra precautions, rather than be taken by surprise by unforseen events.
In other words: it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Focus your efforts on staying safe.
For example: if your home is at risk of flooding, go and stay with a friend or relative whose home may not face such risks.
Stock up on water, food, batteries and so on, as you would when facing a direct threat of a hurricane.
Clear anything from your property which may be blown around in the wind.
Protect your doors and windows.
Raise your furniture or other household valuables off the floor.
And of course, protect yourselves.
We will continue to monitor the storm extremely closely.
The Family Island Administrators, The Royal Bahamas Defence Force, The Royal Bahamas Police Force, the National Youth Guard, the Ministry of Works, and all our major agencies are on standby.
They are ready to respond and deploy resources as needed to protect and support our communities.
We remain in close touch with our partner agencies in the United States and in the region.
To those fellow Bahamians residing in Florida: I strongly urge you to take this hurricane seriously.
If you are in Florida, Milton is a powerful and dangerous storm, and is forecast to remain so as it makes landfall on Florida’s coast.
Please heed the warnings from local authorities, make necessary preparations, and take all measures to ensure your safety and that of your families.
The Government of The Bahamas is coordinating our efforts with our consular offices and local Bahamian associations in Florida, to provide assistance wherever possible.
As Bahamians, we are no strangers to the challenges posed by tropical storms and hurricanes. We have faced them before, and we have emerged stronger each time.
Let us remain vigilant, prepared, and ready to act. Our government stands prepared to take every necessary measure to protect lives, property, and communities.
Thank you, and may God continue to bless and protect the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.