EMO Update: Schools, Buses, Garbage Etc
All Government Offices will be open tomorrow [Oct 20], public schools will be closed, west end garbage collection will resume tomorrow and buses will resume partial service starting around 9am, the Government said this evening.
Those were some of the updates provided in this evening’s update from the Emergency Measures Organisation [EMO], with the full statement following in full below.
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The full statement from the EMO is below:
Following a meeting of the Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO) this afternoon (Sunday), the public is advised of the following.
Government Offices: All Government Offices will be open tomorrow. The public’s patience is requested as we work to return all services to normal operations.
Schools: Out of an abundance of caution, all Government schools will remain closed tomorrow as assessments on various school facilities, coupled with assessments of some impassable roads along school routes continues. Principals and teachers are being asked to attend their respective schools tomorrow to assist in preparations for reopening.Public Transportation: Ferries have resumed regular service.
Buses will resume partial service starting around 9 a.,m. tomorrow (Monday). The following routes will be in effect: Routes 10 snd 11 to and from Hamilton to St. George’s, and Routes 7 and 8 from Hamilton to Hitching Post layby, just short of Somerset bridge. As an important note to West End commuters, due to road restrictions near Fort Scaur, minibuses are being sought to assist West End commuters in getting to the Hitching Post layby.
Causeway: Again, the public’s patience is encouraged in the weeks ahead as the causeway is open to one lane traffic in a partial area of the bridge. The full reopening of two lane traffic will be advised once repairs have been completed to the damaged portions of the bridge.Bermuda Regiment: The Bermuda Regiment remains under partial embodiment. Regiment soldiers will continue the task of assisting with clean-up and repair efforts in various locations around the Island as well as helping residents who have sustained infrastructure damage during Hurricane Gonzalo.
Garbage: West End garbage collection will resume tomorrow (Monday). The public’s patience is encouraged as there will likely be some delays in collection. For those private lanes/streets that are partially impassable, residents are encouraged to bring their refuse near the main road.
Garbage drop off: The Tyne’s Bay public residential waste drop off area will be open through Friday from 7.00 a.m. – 7.00 p.m. Marsh Folly Dump will be open from 7.30a.m. – 6.30 p.m. until Wednesday. All dumping fees will be waived for the remainder of the week.
Tarpaulin: Recognising that that there was considerable residential roof and structural damage, Government will be providing tarpaulin to those affected. The collection area is Warwick Camp from 8.00 a.m. – 8.00 pm.
As an added note, the Emergency Broadcast Station located at 100.1 FM will conclude operating at 8.00 p.m. this evening (Sunday).
The EMO will meet again tomorrow (Monday) afternoon and provide a progress report following their meeting.
A shout out to the EMO radio team on 100.1 fm! you did a great job keeping us informed during the hurricane and afterwards. My only suggestion to EMO is to PLEASE reconsider your selection of music. Please keep in mind that you have children and elderly listening in as well. No need for them to hear 50 Cents singing about his “magic stick” or that Shaggy got caught red handed on the bathroom floor…there are plenty of calming, neutral music to play so people from all ages can enjoy while waiting for storm updates. I had to keep changing station every hour and then every half hour on Saturday. Thank you very much and keep up the GREAT work!
I totally agree with Island Diva, the choice of music for such a vast listening audience was in poor taste. Also, I think it is important to have a trained newscaster or journalist for a job like this, at some points the lady broadcaster was losing her train of thought. I can appreciate how long they were working but that is where professionalism comes into play. After so many ‘please stay inside’, don’t barbecue’ or ‘don’t use your generator inside’, I could not stand it. I think it is important to realize when this is the listening audiences only means of outside communication you have to raise the bar. Gina Spence on the other hand did a superb job of mixing it up and keeping it interesting during her extremely long hours. We love you Gina!
Repetition is a good thing during emergencies, not everyone was on the air at the same time, you may have heard an announcement over and over again, but for others it may have been the first time.
Ditto. Couldn’t receive it all in my area. Hott and 102.7 were crystal-clear, however.
All we got was 102.7. Easy listening but no information, other than the pre-recorded hurricane advice.
Not much good to say about EMO 100.1 and I agree about the poor choice of music. On the upside, however, HOT 107.5 did an absolutely superb job. Going forward they should give lessons in broadcasting to the EMO ! We gave up on 100.1 early on and stuck with HOT 107.5. Thanks to everyone at the station !!
I agree that the music on 100.1 was not the best. I thought that I was being prudish. Gina Spence does deserve all the praise that she has received