Africa-Press – Cape verde. The entire national civil protection and firefighting system is on alert for any eventuality, following the passage of the tropical wave through the archipelago, between today and Saturday. This was assured by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Paulo Rocha
The minister was speaking to journalists in Praia, on the sidelines of the conference commemorating the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
“No one is ever 100% prepared for the tropical wave, for natural storms. Let’s hope it doesn’t affect the population, that it doesn’t create major problems for us. However, the authorities, namely the INMG, have been warning people so that we all individually take the necessary precautions. The National Civil Protection Service, the Municipal Civil Protection Services, the firefighting services and the entire national civil protection system will be on alert, ready to help people wherever necessary”, he stated.
The National Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics confirmed early this afternoon that until Saturday the weather will be affected by the passage of a tropical wave, associated with a center of Low Atmospheric Pressure, moving northwest over the archipelago. According to the INMG, from early this evening onwards, the eastern region – the islands of Sal and Boavista – is expected to experience a significant intensification of the wind, blowing from the east, with speeds above 45 km/h, sometimes with gusts, gradually covering the remaining Barlavento islands during the early hours of the morning, continuing throughout the day.
Rain of varying intensity is expected, sometimes in the form of showers, accompanied by thunderstorms, initially in the Eastern Barlavento Islands, from this evening onwards, gradually covering all the islands during the day of tomorrow, Friday. The INMG also predicts a significant worsening of the sea conditions, affecting the eastern coastal areas of the islands of Sal and Boavista by the end of the night, gradually covering all the islands of Barlavento, which could reach 3 to 5 meters in height.
In his opening speech at the conference commemorating the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Paulo Rocha recalled that disasters are not only natural catastrophes and pointed to the dengue epidemic as one such case.
“This day reminds us that disasters do not only result from natural disasters, such as floods, droughts or earthquakes. Disasters also present themselves in the form of public health crises, such as the dengue epidemic, which is currently affecting many regions of the world and, above all, our country”, he stressed.
The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is celebrated under the theme Empowering the next generation for a resilient future and aims to alert and raise awareness of the importance of disaster risk management, recognizing the role that children and young people play in building safer, more prepared and resilient communities.
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