Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 03, 2019 (SKNIS): Proper disposal of waste is important before a hurricane strikes, says National Disaster Coordinator at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Abdias Samuel, who appeared on the radio-television show “Working for You” on May 01, noting that all citizens and residents should do their part in keeping the island clean before a potential disaster.
Mr. Samuel stated that the common practice of throwing garbage in the drain can cause hazards during heavy rainfall that is associated with a hurricane. When the drainage systems are blocked it can result in flooding.
Persons should make themselves knowledgeable about proper disposal practices, said the national disaster coordinator, adding that before a hurricane, persons need to take their garbage to the Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC) for proper disposal.
“So, when you get these notifications, why not exercise the right thing now to go and dispose of this garbage at the solid waste, who would know how to basically apply whatever security measures to these waste?” said Mr. Samuel.
Elmo Burke, Senior Meteorology Officer, stated that when flooding occurs due to blocked drainage, health issues can arise. “It is a disaster inside of a disaster,” he said.
“You can have this cascading effect,” noted Mr. Burke. “So persons need to recognize that you need to reduce your vulnerability as much as possible because we can do very little in terms of exposure [to a hurricane]. We know if a storm or a hurricane is coming, we can’t help it, but what we can do as an individual and as a community is try to reduce our vulnerability. We must try to ensure that things around us does not impact us personally.”
Waste management is seen as the collection, transportation, disposal or recycling and monitoring of waste. This term is assigned to the material, waste material that is produced through human being activity. This material is managed to avoid its adverse effect over human health and environment.
