Antigua & Barbuda considers curfew as now Category 5 Hurricane Irma approaches

The government of Antigua & Barbuda has hinted at the possibility of imposing a curfew during the passage of Hurricane Irma expected to impact the twin-island nation later Tuesday and Wednesday.

Speaking after a special Cabinet meeting Monday night, Prime Minister Gaston Browne, said this is to ensure that “persons stay within the safety of their homes to protect lives and limb and at the same time to ensure that there is security.”
“So again we are seriously considering that of having a curfew during the period of the storm. In any event we want to rely on individuals’ responsibility to ensure that we do not endanger lives, to protect family members – especially the disabled,” Browne said.

The prime minister added that operations at the VC Bird International Airport will be shut down at 4:00 pm EDT.
The Antigua-based regional airline, Leeward Islands Air Transport (LIAT), has announced the cancellation of several of its daily flights mainly to areas in the path of the now Category 5 Hurricane Irma.

“Passengers with travel dates from September (4th-8th) will have change fees and fare differences waived. Passengers with travel dates from 9th to 11th will have the change fees waived but will have to pay any fare difference. Passengers who make changes after the 18th September will be subject to all change fees and applicable fare differences. We strongly advise our passengers to contact LIAT’s Call Center for rebooking at their earliest convenience,” the airline said in a statement.

Authorities in the country have said that shelters have already been opened in both Antigua & Barbuda and Health Minister Molwyn Joseph said plans to deal with flooding and other disasters associated with the storm have already been put in place.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Hurricane Irma, with maximum sustained winds increased to 280 km/h (175mph) early Tuesday. It was centred about 440 kilometers (270 miles) east of Antigua and moving west.

Authorities warned that the storm could dump up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) of rain, cause landslides and flash floods and generate waves of up to 7 meters (23 feet).

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Antigua & Barbuda; Anguilla; Montserrat; St. Kitts & Nevis; Saba; St. Eustatius, British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra.
A Hurricane Watch remains in effect for Guadeloupe while a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Dominica. -(CMC)