Hurricane Omar Damage In St. Kitts
Photo By Erasmus Williams
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
October 17, 2008 (CUOPM)
St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas said initial damage assessment indicates that there has been no loss of life although some of citizens in the Halfway Tree, Verchilds and Old Road communities in St. Kitts had severe damage, some permanently, to their homes and lost their household items.
“Hurricane Omar which passed northwest of St. Kitts and Nevis as a category 3 hurricane, with wind speed in excess of 120 miles per hour in the early hours of Thursday 16 October impacted the western coast line of St. Kitts and Nevis with dangerous sea swells, severe storm surge, large battering waves and torrential rains,” Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas said in a broadcast Thursday night.
Dr. Douglas, who has responsibility for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said Hurricane Omar precipitated the evacuation of residents, especially from the coastal areas of Old Road, Verchilds and Halfway Tree in St. Kitts, as well as in the Low Street area of Charlestown in Nevis.
“There has been some flooding and beach damage in the Frigate Bay and South East Peninsula areas, but we are assured that “˜The Strip’, the famous night spot in Frigate Bay is already returning to normal business,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
He said that although a more comprehensive analysis will be done subsequently, the initial damage assessment indicates that there has been no loss of life although some of our citizens in the Halfway Tree Verchilds and Old Road communities in St. Kitts had severe damage, some permanently, to their homes and lost their household items.
