NEMO Fully Activated Countrywide

Tropical Storm Lisa will make landfall in Belize on Wednesday evening and all preparations are underway ahead of its arrival.  The National Emergency Management Organization is in high gear and has been meeting with all relevant government agencies in an effort to synchronize its operations once the category one hurricane gets here.  Earlier today, we heard from the National Disaster Coordinator at NEMO, Shelton Defour, about the plans that are in place to respond to the impact of the storm and the needs of those that will be affected. NEMO is encouraging residents in low-lying high risk areas to evacuate immediately if they have not done so already. Defour says, saving lives is the number one priority at this time.  Here is what he told reporters via Zoom.

Shelton Defour

Shelton Defour, National Disaster Coordinator, NEMO

“Country wide NEMO is fully activated. We have two plans in place, even though the window of opportunity for one is closing. That is the evacuation of people from low lying high risk areas. We are encouraging people to move on your own, voluntarily relocate. Get out of harms ways. Move to a safe place, whether it is out of a community or in the community to a stronger safer structure. That is the number one thing we need to do, the number one thing we need to be focusing on, saving lives. The effects of the system with storm surge and wind will definitely create damages and some, hopefully not much, destructions. We are right in the play book of hurricane Earl, hurricane Richard, and to some extent hurricane Nana. So, this will be the fourth experience for us of this nature. And the things that worked for us in all those instances, people moved out of harm’s way. That was the number one important thing that people did. If I recall correctly, there was no loss of life for those three events related directly to those hurricanes.”

This morning NEMO officials, as well as Chief Meteorologist Ronald Gordon met with the Briceño administration in cabinet where presentations on the forthcoming weather system were made. Prime Minister John Briceño and his senior advisors in cabinet are fully briefed on the course of action being taken by NEMO.