The need for the Virgin Islands to have its own meteorological office was emphasized at the 49th Session of the Caribbean Meteorological Council Meeting of Ministers which opened here Monday.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Managing Director of the BVI Airports Authority Denniston Fraser noted that while the Territory does not have a meteorological office in its physical form, they have “schematic plans” in place for the addition of such an office at Beef Island and he will endeavour to see those plans come to fruition.

Delivering the keynote address, Minister for Communications and Works Julian Fraser reiterated the need for a local met office, but noted that the Territory still has a long way to go.

He disclosed that currently the meteorological data is provided by the BVI Airports Authority (BVIAA) since its inception. Meteorological data has been collected and disseminated by Air Traffic Controllers on an hourly basis in addition to their normal work load.

The minister publicly thanked the controllers for going beyond the call of duty to get the meteorological information out.

Noting that the Government is fully aware of the mandate by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, he said they intend to establish a separate office which shall be adequate for meteorological service required to satisfy the needs of international air navigation.

He told the gathering of 16 members states of the Caribbean Meteorological Council present that it is an area that their cooperation and assistance would be needed.

“It is our view that one day, we will have a fully functional forecasting office with duly qualified forecasters,”  said Minister Fraser, noting that he is cognizant of the role the Department of Disaster Management plays in meteorology and grateful for their timely updates, primarily during the hurricane season.

Meanwhile, as part of the Caribbean Radar Project,  Doppler Weather Radars has already been constructed and working in Belize, Trinidad and Guyana, and the communication and works minister said he can foresee endless benefits of such a project in the Territory.

He urged other members states to embrace the project which will not only allow data sharing but also training for other countries.

Pressure to increase scientific data

Coordinating Director of the Caribbean Meteorological Office Tyrone Sutherland said the 49th session comes at a time when the region as well as the rest of the world, is under enormous pressure to deliver more in the science as it pertains to climate change.

“There has been pressure for the meteorological community to increase its scientific basis; its contribution to the sciences has been increasing.

For example, we are asked to go back into our records to check our records and data.

For us in the Caribbean that is not an easy task, we are limited in our resources,” he charged.

At the regional level, Sutherland said the meteorological and hydrological community is still in charge with ensuring the security of its people and which also means that the regional hurricane warning systems has to be continuously improved and though there have been improvements along the way, they still have a long way to go.

He said because of its improvements over the decades, the number of people who died as a result of hurricane is decreasing.

However, he noted that the damage from those weather related systems has been increasing and therefore not only the meteorological side has to be enhanced but also the partners within each nation.

He is hoping that during the course of the session, the council will explore how best they can survive with their limited resources and hope to leave the Virgin Islands with a good mandate to guide their programmes under the currently economic situation.

The Caribbean Meteorological Organization is a specialized agency of the Caribbean Community that coordinates the joint scientific and technical activities in weather-, climate- and water-related sciences in 16 English-speaking Caribbean countries.

It originated from the British Caribbean Meteorological Service, which was founded in 1951.

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