In a message to Virgin Islanders and residents His Excellency Governor Daniel Pruce issued a statement ahead of the expected tropical storm Ernesto.
Pruce said, “Earlier today, I chaired the disaster management operations group, which brings together all of the agencies and departments here in the Virgin Islands to help us prepare for a severe weather event. We’ve been discussing and ensuring that we have necessary preparations in place for Tropical Storm Ernesto, which is due to reach the Islands later today. We expect severe rainfall and strong winds Tuesday into Wednesday. As a consequence of that, I’ve taken the decision that all Government offices will be closed tomorrow (Wednesday) and obviously we will keep the situation under review thereafter.”
Governor Pruce therefore urged residents to make necessary preparations. Stating “I’d encourage everyone across the Virgin Islands to ensure they’ve made adequate preparations for the weather that lies ahead. Please secure your property and please ensure that you and your loved ones stay safe. Please also keep informed. There are many ways to do that – the key one is to ensure that the Department for Disaster Management’s app is downloaded on to your phone. Please download it now if you haven’t done so already.”