Weather Bureau is Ready

Catherine Cumberbatch

And to be prepared, it means the public needs timely and accurate information. According to Cumberbatch, that is what the Belize Weather Bureau will provide. We asked her how prepared the Met Office is for the 2018 hurricane season. She says that with upgrades in equipment, including the use of the Doppler radar and automatic weather stations, combined with highly trained met officers, they are ready to serve the Belizean public.

Catherine Cumberbatch, Chief Met Officer

“We have a very professional team at the National Met Service that is ready and willing and able to respond and analyze any event that is out there. We have a significant tool which is our Doppler radar. You have seen our network has grown so far. We have automatic weather stations all over our country and which we continue to install these stations. These automatic weather stations are giving us real time information. So, not only with the staff itself but the equipment we have has really developed the national met service and we have been trained at different levels to work with different models. We have the back up of the national hurricane center, the Caribbean institute of meteorology and hydrology. All these organizations who are behind so – so we have a lot of support. We have the Government support. The Ministry ensures that we are equipped with the equipment we need to function as a unit in the event that such an event occur that we will be able to disseminate that information in a timely and accurate manner to the people of Belize in order to safeguard their life and for the economic benefit of the country.”

Andrea Polanco

“So, we should have every confidence in our Belize Weather Bureau?”

Catherine Cumberbatch

“Why not? Why not?”