Charlestown, Nevis, August 18, 2026
With the Atlantic hurricane season entering its most active period, the Nevis Disaster Management Department (NDMD) is intensifying its public education campaign, urging residents, businesses and communities to make preparedness a shared responsibility.
Under the theme “Preparedness Starts With You,” the Department’s Hurricane Awareness Drive 2026 runs from August 16 to 22, bringing preparedness messages directly into communities through churches, businesses, public spaces, schools, media platforms and other outreach activities.
The campaign opened on Sunday, August 16, with Climate and Disaster Communications Ambassadors visiting churches across Nevis. Their presentations focused on practical steps households can take before a storm threatens, including developing emergency plans, assembling emergency kits, monitoring official alerts, knowing shelter locations and making arrangements for persons who may require additional assistance.
By working through faith communities, the NDMD is tapping into established networks that play an important role in reaching families with information they can understand, trust and act upon.
Public engagement continued the following day at the War Memorial in Charlestown, where residents and members of the wider community had an opportunity to receive preparedness information and demonstrations.
Zoe Bendito, Communications Officer at the NDMD, said the activity forms part of the 2026 hurricane awareness drive and includes collaboration with the St. Kitts-Nevis Red Cross.
A key component of Monday’s outreach came from the St. Kitts-Nevis Red Cross, which conducted CPR and first aid demonstrations while providing guidance on essential first aid kit supplies, basic emergency procedures and CPR techniques.
NDMD ambassadors meanwhile took the preparedness message beyond formal presentations, engaging fisherfolk, vendors, business owners, commuters and other members of the public about the steps they have taken — or still need to take — to prepare for a potential storm.
The programme continues throughout the week, with each day targeting a different segment of the Nevisian community.
Business outreach and preparedness messaging take centre stage on Tuesday, August 18, while Wednesday’s activities move into the community with a symposium at Hickman’s Ground involving NDMD Ambassadors, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members and Mercy Corps.
Youth and digital engagement will dominate Thursday, August 20, with a video challenge alongside appearances on Nevis Television (NTv) at 11 a.m. and radio at 5 p.m., creating additional avenues for residents to access and share preparedness information.
On Friday, August 21, the Department will take its message island-wide with a hurricane preparedness caravan, culminating at Memorial Square.
The week will close on Saturday, August 22, with faith-based preparedness activities and visits to Seventh-day Adventist churches, reinforcing the campaign’s emphasis on community participation and collective readiness.
Although the Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30, August through October typically produces the greatest concentration of tropical cyclone activity. The timing of the NDMD’s campaign therefore places renewed emphasis on preparedness at a critical point in the season.
NOAA’s updated 2026 Atlantic hurricane season outlook now calls for a below-normal season, forecasting 7 to 13 named storms, including the two systems already recorded. Of those, between two and six are expected to become hurricanes, with as many as two potentially reaching major hurricane strength.
For the NDMD, however, a below-normal forecast does not diminish the need for vigilance. Hurricane preparedness is ultimately less about predicting how active a season will be and more about ensuring that individuals, families, businesses and communities are ready should a storm threaten Nevis.
The message running through the week-long initiative is therefore straightforward: preparation cannot begin when a hurricane is already approaching. It starts now, with every resident taking the necessary steps to protect lives, property and the wider community.
