The Hurricane Season starts June 1st through November 30th yearly. The National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO hosts NEMO week yearly, leading to the opening of the hurricane season. This year, the week is observed under the theme, Preserving Life and Property and will take place during the week of May 27 – June 1, 2012.

As part of the national activities, all schools throughout the country have been invited to join and participate in a National Poster contest to be judged in Belmopan for NEMO Week. The contest is open to students in standard 4 to 6 in all primary schools countrywide. Entries must be submitted through the school’s principal or a class teacher no later than May 22nd and depicting the theme “Preserving Life and Property”. Posters will be judged on: expression of the theme; creativity and originality, visual clarity and appeal; and broad audience appeal and educational value. There will be prizes for first, second and third places.

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Each year the hurricane season starts June 1st and ends on November 30th. Prior to the beginning of the season the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) hosts a “NEMO Week” in preparation for the season. This year, the week is observed under the theme, Preserving Life and Property and will take place during the week of May 27 – June 1, 2012.

As part of the national activities, all schools throughout the country have been invited to join and participate in a National poster contest to be judged in Belmopan for NEMO Week. The contest is open to students in standard 4 to 6 in all primary schools countrywide. Entries must be submitted through the school’s principal or a class teacher no later than May 22nd and depicting the theme “Preserving Life and Property”. Posters will be judged on expression of the theme; creativity and originality, visual clarity and appeal; broad audience appeal and educational value. There will be prizes for first, second and third places. The winning posters will be used as display during NEMO week at NEMO Headquarters in Belmopan and other displays throughout the year as well as will be considered for promotional materials. Poster contestants will be competing at a chance to win $1,600 in prizes.

Locally, all schools in the Belize Rural South constituency are invited to participate in the quiz contest scheduled for May 29th. Other activities include a church service, scheduled for Sunday the 27th, radio and TV talk show appearances to promote Public Awareness on Monday 28th, Quiz contest at the Lion’s Den on May 29th at 1PM, and ending with an entertainment night on June 1st scheduled to start at 7pm at Central Park. For more information about NEMO training, feel free to Contact Ms. Jeromey Timrose, district emergency coordinators for Belize Rural South at telephone number: 206 – 2891 or cell; 600-8672/666 - 7476

While NEMO goes into full preparation mode, on the 4th of April 2012, Drs Philip J. Klotzbach and William M. Gray, of the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, issued the expected forecast for the Atlantic hurricane activity.

According to the release, information obtained through March 2012 indicates that the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season will have less activity than the median 1981-2010 season. It is estimated that 2012 will have about four hurricanes (median is 6.5), 10 named storms (median is 12.0), 40 named storm days (median is 60.1), 16 hurricane days (median is 21.3), two major (Category 3-4-5) hurricanes (median is 2.0) and three major hurricane days (median is 3.9).

The probability of a U.S. major hurricane landfall is estimated to be about 80 percent of the long-period average. The Atlantic basin Net Tropical Cyclone (NTC) activity in 2012 is expected to be approximately 75 percent of the long-term average. This forecast is based on a new extended-range early April statistical prediction scheme that utilizes 29 years of past data.

Analog predictors are also utilized. A somewhat below-average Atlantic basin hurricane season is expected due to a combination of an anomalously cool tropical Atlantic and the potential development of El Niño.

Coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them, and they need to prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted.

On April 13th, the name Irene was retired from the official list of Atlantic Basin tropical storm names by the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) hurricane committee because of the fatalities and damage caused in August 2011 and will be replaced by Irma. Storm names are reused every six years for both the Atlantic Basin and eastern North Pacific Basin, unless retired for causing a considerable amount of casualties or damage. Irene is the 76th name to be retired from the Atlantic list since 1954.

The storm names for 2012 are as follows: Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Michael, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sandy, Tony, Valerie and William.

The San Pedro Sun

NEMO WEEK OBSERVED IN BELIZE

Maria Novelo reporting…

“An agenda full of activity is being held to observe NEMO Week 2012 across the country and in the Belize Rural South Area it is no exception. Each year, prior to the beginning of the Hurricane season, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) hosts a “NEMO Week” in preparation for the season. Love News spoke with District Coordinator for the BRS area, Jeromey Timrose Augustine who told us that this year’s activities are concentrated around the theme, Preserving Life and Property.

Jeromey Timrose Augustine – District Coordinator

“When we involve the schoolchildren we know that whatever message we give to them, they will take it home to their parents which is important to us because we need to reach a wide cross section of the populace. Whatever we do in the schools it goes back to the homes. I always say we are prepared, but we can be much more prepared. It is going to be an average year but nonetheless we still have to keep our people informed as to what we are supposed to do. It does not necessarily mean that we are to be laid back because you can never tell what can happen and when it will happen and where it will happen.”

Despite the dismal participation of this year’s quiz contest, Augustine advises the public of hurricane preparedness for families.

Jeromey Timrose Augustine – District Coordinator

“When it comes to official hurricane shelters, we do not have official shelters on the island. Our priority, as long as it is above a category two hurricane we are to evacuate off the island. Anything below a hundred miles per hour we have buildings that have been assigned, inspected to house people especially those in low lying areas. We do have buildings that accommodate these people if there is a need to.”

Timrose added that families residing in coastal areas are reminded that they need to prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted.

LOVEFM

Kylie Alamilla wins NEMO Quiz Contest during NEMO week - San Pedro Sun
Under the theme “Preserving Life and Property”, a quiz contest was held at the San Pedro Lion’s Den on Tuesday May 29th at 10AM and Kylie Alamilla of the Standard 4 class at San Pedro Roman Catholic School (SPRCS) dominated the competition. Schools from both Caye Caulker and San Pedro were invited to participate, but due to unforeseen circumstances, Holy Cross and New Horizon SDA had to drop out of competition. In the end, Albert Gordon and Guillermo Nuñez of Isla Bonita Elementary and Kylie Alamilla of SPRCS battled it out at the Lion’s Den.