NEMO Names New Coordinator as T.S. Bret Maintains Westward Track

The National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO, has a new coordinator. Retired B.D.F Captain, Daniel Mendez has replaced Shelton Defour, who has been there for over two decades. It was announced today that the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management has appointed Mendez to fill the post. In the capacity of National Emergency Coordinator, Mendez will lead the implementation of the country’s disaster management policies and strive to strengthen disaster and hazards preparedness, as well as the response to reduce risk and resiliency. He comes with over twenty years experience in leadership, crisis, and disaster management, and also has experience working along with the Peace Corps. Mendez has served as the Disaster Risk Management Specialist at the ministry, playing an integral part in the development of Belize’s first Post-Disaster Needs Assessment. Meanwhile, as Belize changes its NEMO coordinator, Tropical Storm Bret continues to inch westward over the Atlantic Ocean, in a part of the ocean that is not known to support storm activity until around August. Bret is forecast to hit the Lesser Antilles on Thursday, causing rain, strong winds and possible flooding. Thereafter, however, the storm is not expected to develop into a hurricane because of changing winds that have slowed its development. News Five spoke with Chief Meteorologist, Ronald Gordon, who said that Bret poses absolutely no threat to Belize.

Ronald Gordon

Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist

“The system is moving to the west at 21 miles per hour, and it’s expected to move generally westward for the next few days and eventually make a more west northwestward turn. It is very far away from us at the moment. We are looking at it, but it doesn’t pose a threat to Belize at the moment. As a matter of fact, looking at the forecast, onto Saturday morning, it will still be somewhere near Puerto Rico, so it is a good distance from us. It’s being steered right now by the Atlantic Ridge, and that’s keeping it on a westward track. As soon as it runs the periphery of that ridge, it will – it is forecast to recurve more to the west northwest, so that’s the reason why it would tend to recurve noh, before it gets here. There are two counteracting forces this particular season. We have a very warm Atlantic Ocean and we have El Nino conditions. El Nino suppresses, whereas the Atlantic warm ocean will enhance. The Atlantic warm ocean conditions are winning at the moment when we look at Tropical Depression Three. That very warm water out there is what is causing that system to – or has caused it to develop actually.”