PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – “Recent reports from the region regarding earthquakes and elevated seismic activity should be of concern to all of us”, Member of Parliament, Sarah Wescot-Williams stated recently.
“A statement from Mr. Clive Richardson of Sunday, January 12th, 2020, did not address or allay my concerns, and given the reports and the inquietude amongst the population, I’ve posed questions to Prime Minster Silveria Jacobs, as the one responsible for disaster management.”, the MP said.
The Member of Parliament posed the following questions to the Prime Minister in a recent letter.
1. What is the view of Government regarding these increasing seismic activities? Do these not warrant increased alertness?
2. What has Government put in place to mitigate the potential threat of an earthquake to our island? Does the plan include schools and other public places?
3. What is the disaster management plan for earthquakes?
4. Please share any other information regarding this matter that could be helpful to the population as a whole and may I suggest an urgent communication plan, if not yet in place.
“These questions were not posed to create panic, but to be assured that the Government of St. Maarten is doing all within its power to: keep the population informed and prepared, make sure that plans are in place to roll out in the event that St. Maarten is struck by an earthquake and include drills in the plan, especially in our schools. In response, the Prime Minister has informed me that she will be calling for an EOC meeting soonest and will provide the answers to the questions above, the MP continued.
MP Wescot-Williams further stated that she has “downloaded the Disasterprep Sint Maarten App, but there appears still some work to be done before this can be considered the medium of choice to reach the widest population possible. And of course, collaboration with our French counterparts is of paramount importance.”
“I look forward to some concrete proposals coming from the EOC and I encourage all to be vigilant and helpful in protecting ourselves as much as humanly possible”, the MP concluded.
