Tuesday: Schools, Offices Open, Buses Running
“Essentially, Tuesday will be business as usual,” Minister of National Security Wayne Caines said, explaining that public schools will be open tomorrow, buses will be running, Government offices will be open, trash collection will be as normal and the airport will operate.
Speaking at press conference this afternoon [Sept 23], Minister Caines said, “We are here to provide another update on Tropical Storm Jerry, following a meeting this morning of the Emergency Measures Organisation.
“Bermuda is expected to experience Tropical Force winds late on Tuesday evening. I will let James Dodgson, the Director of the Bermuda Weather Service discuss those details.
“Ms. Shelly Leman from BELCO is also here today to provide an update. Ms. Kelly Trott from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation Unit also joins us and will say a few words.
The Minister said:
- All public schools will be open tomorrow as usual.
- All buses are running as normal and will run as scheduled tomorrow.
- All Government offices will be open for business tomorrow.
- The road clearing continues and I urge everyone to use caution as they are riding and driving on our streets.
- The ferries are running as normal and will run as normal on Tuesday. With the exception of the St. George orange route which will not run on Tuesday.
- Trash collection will be as normal today and Tuesday. If Tuesday is your normal trash day it will be collected. We will advise about Wednesday collection tomorrow.
- The Marsh Folly facility is open for collection today and Tuesday from 7:30 am until 4:00pm. Please take trees/foliage to the Marsh Folly Facility – dumping fees have been waived.
- From today through Wednesday, all beaches are closed to swimming and water activities.
- The L F Wade International Airport will operate today and tomorrow as normal. No flights have been cancelled – however, check with the airlines directly for any flight queries. Also you can go to bermudaairport.com for more information.
“So essentially, Tuesday will be business as usual. In our update tomorrow we will discuss Wednesday.
“Tomorrow’s media briefing – out of an abundance of caution, we anticipate being able to provide exact times when the public should be off the roads on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, when there are increased winds. These measures may be put in place because Bermuda experienced a category 3 hurricane last week. We recognise that for tropical storms some of these precautions would not normally take place.
“I want to once again, express our deep appreciation to the many groups, organisations, Government and non-Government personnel who have worked tirelessly to get Bermuda up and running after last weeks Hurricane. We are very, very grateful for all of the hard work and many man hours that have been put in.
“We also recognize this is a highly stressful time for all of us in Bermuda. We have been operating at a high level of anxiety for more than a week. We urge everyone to pay attention to their stress levels and those of loved ones. Some signs of stress include:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Limited attention span
- Increased use of alcohol and drugs, abandoning healthy eating habits
“A few coping tips include:
- Connecting with others
- Getting adequate sleep and nutrition
- Exercising and resting are critical;
“You will be able to find details of how to cope with stress on gov.bm later today.
“The EMO will meet again tomorrow morning at 10 am. We will assess Tropical Storm Jerry, make all necessary decisions about what will happen on Wednesday, and we will update the public in our 12:30 press conference and at 1:30 pm on the Emergency Broadcast Station, 100.1 FM.
“If you know anyone who does not have access to online media sites – specifically our seniors – please encourage them to listen 100.1 FM at 1:30 pm today and again at 1:30 pm tomorrow so that they can stay abreast of the storm updates. If you have not already downloaded the Treefrog app to receive updates, please do so today. Thank you.”
You can view our live updates on Hurricane Humberto and TS Jerry here, all our coverage of Hurricane Humberto here, our coverage of TS Jerry here, and all our coverage of the 2019 Hurricane Season here.
