PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):---  Fire Chief and National Disaster Coordinator of the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) Clive Richardson, reminds the population that the month of November is still hurricane season and to remain prepared and vigilant.

The remaining 2025 storm names are: Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van, and Wendy.

To date there have been 13th named storms for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane where five became hurricanes, and of those four became major hurricanes of wind speeds of 111+ miles per hour.

The 2025 season has been described as exceptional or extraordinary and is only the second time in recorded history where you have had three Category 5 hurricanes form in a season. The previous year was 2005, 20 years ago.

According to meteorologists, within the past 25-years, there have been 17 named storms that formed during the month of November, including six major hurricanes with wind speeds of more than 111 miles per hour. The one that Sint Maarten is familiar with is Lenny in 1999.

Visit the website of the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS): www.meteosxm.com or visit their social media page Facebook.com/sxmweather/ for the latest weather reports.

For more information on hurricane preparedness and to find a list of official resources, please visit the Government website: www.sintmaartengov.org/hurricane where you will be able to download your “Hurricane Season Readiness Guide’ and “Hurricane Tracking Chart” or you can use the following link: https://shorturl.at/VbaxC

Listen to the Government Radio station – SXMGOV 107.9FM - for official information and news before, during and after a hurricane. You can also follow weather related news and information as well as national addresses by the Prime Minister, chairperson of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) by going to @SXMGOV Facebook Page.

The hurricane season runs through November 30.

THE NETHERLANDS (THE HAGUE):---  Her Excellency Diedre Mills, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Head Mission to the European Union (EU), has expressed her heartfelt gratitude and outpouring of love, support and solidarity on behalf of the Government and the people of Jamaica during this difficult time after the passing of Hurricane Melissa.
In her letter dated October 31, 2025, Ambassador Mills added, “As we begin the recovery and reconstruction phase, we do so with the kind assurance of your unwavering commitment and steadfast support so that we can build back even stronger than ever.”
Her Excellency Sint Maarten’s Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita Arrindell had the pleasure of meeting Ambassador Mills on the sidelines of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s General Conference in Uzbekistan in the historic city of Samarkand.
“The Ambassador personally expressed her gratitude for Sint Maarten’s expression from the outset of my address of solidarity with the people and Government of Jamaica while having the floor and attention of the UNESCO Conference. I also mentioned Haiti, The Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic, which were also impacted by Melissa.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that the Government of Jamaica has confirmed 28 fatalities to date associated with the passage of the hurricane. I extend my condolences to the families who have lost loved ones due to this natural disaster,” Minister Arrindell said on Thursday.
Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell addressed the General Conference on behalf of the Honourable Melissa D. Gumbs, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.
The 43rd UNESCO General Conference runs from 30 October to 13 November 2025.

Cayman Islands:---  CCRIF SPC announced that it will make a second payout of US$21.1 million to the Government of Jamaica following the passage of Hurricane Melissa – due to the triggering of the Government’s excess rainfall parametric insurance policy. Previously, on October 31, CCRIF announced that Jamaica will receive a payout of US$70.8 million (J$11.4 billion) on the country’s tropical cyclone policy. The total payouts to Jamaica from CCRIF amount to US$91.9 million (J$14.8 billion) following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

On November 3rd CCRIF provided the Government with a portion of the tropical cyclone policy payout – US$8 million – to provide immediate access to quick liquidity (cash). The remaining US$62.8 million will be paid by November 13th – in keeping with CCRIF’s key value proposition of making payouts within 14 days of an event. The excess rainfall policy payout will also be made within 14 days, following final model verification. Excess rainfall assessments typically take a few days longer than tropical cyclone evaluations due to the complexity of rainfall distribution and localized impacts.

CCRIF’s parametric insurance policies are a key component of Jamaica’s comprehensive disaster risk financing strategy. Payouts from CCRIF provide its members with immediate access to liquidity to support vulnerable populations, repair critical infrastructure, stabilize public services such as water, and reduce the country’s economic exposure, safeguarding debt and fiscal sustainability targets and overall development gains.

Jamaica currently has coverage from CCRIF for tropical cyclone, excess rainfall and earthquake. CCRIF’s parametric insurance policies are designed to respond to the intensity of a hazard event, considering the assets exposed, and the modelled losses based on pre-defined models. The tropical cyclone policy is based on modelled losses from wind and storm surge, and the excess rainfall policy is based on the volume and distribution of rainfall. Prior to these two payouts for Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica received 3 other payouts in previous years on its tropical cyclone and excess rainfall policies for Tropical Cyclones Beryl, Eta and Zeta.

Since its inception in 2007, CCRIF has made 82 payouts totalling US$483 million (https://www.ccrif.org/aboutus/ccrif-spc-payouts?language_content_entity=en).

CCRIF CEO, Mr. Isaac Anthony plans to visit Jamaica to meet with senior officials to discuss how CCRIF can provide further assistance for the country’s recovery efforts and how it can support the Government in further enhancing its financial protection strategy.

For the previous press release, “CCRIF To Make Record US$70.8 Million (J$11.4 Billion) Payout to Jamaica Following the Devastation Caused by Hurricane Melissa”, click the link below:
https://www.ccrif.org/news/ccrif-make-record-us708-million-j114-billion-payout-jamaica-following-devastation-caused?language_content_entity=en

#ccrifspc #caribbean #jamaica #hurricanemelissa #disasterriskfinancing #naturaldisaster #catastropheriskinsurance #parametricinsurance #climatechange #lossanddamage #US$21million #excessrainfall #US$91.9million

PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):---  Health departments and organizations around the globe are preparing for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), which will take place from November 18 – 24.

The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) says Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antibiotics used to treat a wide range of bacteria making infections difficult to treat and at times impossible, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

Antibiotics and other antimicrobials play a key role in the success of modern medicine and have greatly improved the health of humans and animals. But overuse and misuse have reduced their efficacy, with more pathogens developing the ability to survive the antimicrobials designed to eliminate them, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The objective of WAAW is to spread information to different groups within the community and for persons to be able to learn more about Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and why it’s a global concern and what impact it could have on Sint Maarten.

Antibiotic medicines were discovered a century ago and have significantly extended average life expectancy. Every day, these essential medicines save millions of lives.

“Together, we should ensure the international community sets ambitious goals during high-level meetings on AMR and that countries allocate sufficient resources to meet AMR national action plans.

“By sharing real-life experiences of AMR, we aim to illustrate its tangible impact and promote global action. WHO urges governments, NGOs, civil society groups, youth and student organizations, universities, healthcare professionals, private stakeholders and media to act and engage local communities in raising awareness around this global health crisis,” the WHO adds.