Turks and Caicos Islands Hurricane Summary

2012

The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season is a very active hurricane season.

Thus far we have seen 19 storms which exceeds the number of predicted storms for the season. (10 hurricanes, 1 major ).

There was an early start to this hurricane season with tropical storms Alberto and Beryl developing during the month of May, a few weeks ahead of the official start to the 2012 hurricane season.

Overview

2012 HurricaneSeason summary19 Storms10 Hurricanes1 Major

There was no real threat to the Turks and Caicos Islands this 2012 hurricane season.

The islands were under a tropical storm warning on August 24th and 25th as Isaac approached Haiti which is to our southwest. Isaac brought gusty winds an about an inch of rain.

Short lived tropical storm Patty also brought little rain and slight gust in winds across the islands.

Overview

Hurricane IsaacAug. 21- Sept 1Peak 80mphInt. 968 mb

Tropical Storm PattyOct 11 – Oct 13Peak 45mphInt. 1005 mb

Hurricane Sandy had more impacts on the Turks and Caicos Islands than the previous 2 storms as it relates to wind and rain.

The islands were not placed under any watches or warnings for this storm although the southeastern Bahamas was placed under a tropical storm warning.

Sandy brought average winds of 27kts with gusts to 38kts and an accumulated amount of 3.7 inches of rain from October 24th to the 26th.

Overview

Hurricane SandyOn Oct 24Cat. 1

Hurricane SandyOct. 22 – Oct 29Peak 110mphInt. 940 mb

During these storms the National Emergency Operations Centre NEOC which is the Disaster Management and Emergencies coordinating centre was activated.

Approved shelters were opened to accommodate persons who deemed it necessary to seek better safety.

This may have been necessary due to their homes being vulnerable or their homes may have been in low lying flood-prone areas.

Preparedness

We are now in a better position to track and monitor ALL tropical systems be it a threat or not to the Turks and Caicos Islands by use of our new HURRTRAK Advanced 2012 software.

Preparedness

Communications from the NEOC to the general public has become very effective within the past few years.

Warning messages are being broadcast on all local television channels and radio stations.

Communication

With the assistance of all three telecommunications service providers, warnings issued by the NEOC are being sent out to general public via text messages.

Also since just about everyone is now using a smart phone, messages are now being sent out via Blackberry messaging (bbm) or WhatsApp.

Communication cont.

There was a cause for concern in the past for messages being sent out in this fashion because anyone could have been sending these messages out people would just forward it.

All messages approved for radio, television and text messages must be provided by the NEOC and signed by the individual in charge.

All BBM and WhatsApp messages will have the name of the individual in charge of the NEOC at the bottom of each message.

Communication cont.

Since the passage of hurricane Ike in September of 2008 the population gained a much greater respect for watches and warnings being issued for the TCI and now have a higher level of preparedness.

Public Response

The Turks and Caicos Islands did not suffer any damages this hurricane season except for flooding in the usual low lying flood-prone areas.

Impacts

Front Street,Grand TurkTurks & Caicos IslandsAfter Sandy passed

Thank you!

Kendre WilsonTurks & Caicos Islands Airports AuthorityMeteorological Officerkendrewilson@tciairports.com