Disaster Management Coordinator Fitzroy Pascal says the El Niño climate pattern is helping to suppress tropical cyclone activity across the Atlantic Basin, contributing to a quieter-than-usual start to the hurricane season despite forecasts of an active year.
Speaking on the Disaster and You programme, Pascal said current weather conditions have resulted in very limited tropical wave activity across the tropical Atlantic, providing a temporary reprieve from the systems that often bring heavy rainfall and strong winds to the Caribbean.
“I’m looking at the surface analysis map and there’s not one tropical wave in the tropical Atlantic, and that is tremendous good news. This is due to El Niño, and we all know that event suppresses tropical cyclone activity for us in the Atlantic Basin,” Pascal said.
He noted that while Saharan dust has affected air quality in recent weeks, he would rather contend with dusty conditions than the destructive impacts associated with tropical storms and hurricanes.
“Even my car is extremely dirty because of the dust days. I prefer this than the hurricanes and storms and tropical waves affecting us, bringing excessive rainfall and high winds,” he added.
Despite the favourable conditions, Pascal stressed that Dominica is maintaining a high level of preparedness. He said the National Emergency Planning Organization (NEPO) convened at the start of the hurricane season under the leadership of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, with all participating agencies instructed to remain in a constant state of readiness.
According to Pascal, disaster preparedness is not limited to the official hurricane season but forms part of an ongoing programme carried out throughout the year. Working alongside the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), NEPO regularly reviews preparedness checklists, coordinates planning activities and ensures emergency response systems remain operational.
“We don’t only wait for May to go into preparedness mode. It’s a year-long process for us,” Pascal said.
He encouraged residents to continue monitoring official weather updates and to maintain their own household preparedness plans, noting that weather conditions can change rapidly during the hurricane season. While the current outlook is encouraging, Pascal said continued vigilance remains essential to protecting lives and property should tropical activity increase later in the season.
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