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Hurricane Tomas (2010)

Eastern Caribbean
Hurricane Tomas' late-season formation and subsequent intensification east of the southern Lesser Antilles were sudden and poorly forecast, taking emergency officials by surprise and limiting preparation time. Upon the storm's operational designation at 5:00 pm on October 29, the governments of Barbados, France, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago issued tropical storm warnings for Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Windward Islands from Grenada north to Martinique, as well as a tropical storm watch for Dominica. At 11:00 pm, within only several hours of impact, the warnings for Barbados and most of the Windward Islands were raised to hurricane alerts as Tomas neared hurricane strength, while the watch for Dominica was upgraded to a warning. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) activated its disaster response protocol in coordination with the National Emergency Organizations of the threatened member states. Disaster relief units were accordingly deployed across the islands to set up storm shelters and rush preparations to completion.

Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago
In Barbados, authorities sent out the first advisory for Tomas on October 29 at 5:00 pm – just nine hours before the storm's impact – and announced a nation-wide curfew for midnight. In response, many residents hurried out to stock up on gas and emergency supplies. Air carriers Leeward Islands Air Transport and American Airlines cancelled their outgoing flights for that evening; later, as conditions worsened, the Grantley Adams International Airport went under complete shutdown. The tardy notice of Tomas' approach led to delays in emergency preparations; most shelters did not open until late in the evening, and residents were advised to weather the storm in their homes.

News of an approaching tropical disturbance began to circulate across Trinidad and Tobago in the morning of October 29. At 1:00 pm, the government ordered the closure of schools and dismissed public employees on both islands. Many workers in the private sector also opted for early leaves. BP and Petrotrin evacuated their offshore workers from oil and gas rigs. National security authorities mobilized first-responders and urged residents of risk zones to relocate to shelters. As crowds of people hurried to stores and gas stations that afternoon, widespread traffic jams and public transport disruptions took place in and around Port of Spain and Sangre Grande, leaving passengers stranded up till 7:00 pm.

Windward Islands
On the afternoon of October 29, the public of Saint Lucia began receiving text message alerts on the progress of Tomas. Anticipating a direct hit from the hurricane, the government implemented a national shutdown at 6:00 am on the following day, closing all businesses and the island's two airports. A large Creole festival was canceled due to the storm, inconveniencing international vendors and visitors.

Under hurricane threat, residents of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were alerted and updated on Tomas' approach through radio and television broadcasts and text message bulletins. In a radio address at 6:45 am, October 30, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves urged the public to safeguard its properties or evacuate to storm shelters. Government workers readied emergency vehicles and preemptively deployed debris clearing machines. All businesses, as well as then-operative E.T. Joshua Airport, remained closed for the day, and various activities such as church services were cancelled across the nation. A cruise ship with 2,000 passengers en route to Saint Vincent was diverted to Dominica ahead of the hurricane.

Although not within the hurricane's direct path, the islands of Martinique and Grenada carried out similar preparations in anticipation of squally conditions. Aside from the tropical cyclone warnings, Martinique was placed under an orange alert for severe weather; residents were advised to stay indoors and to avoid coasts and riversides. First responders across the island took preemptive measures to set up emergency posts and mobilize road clearing equipment. Disaster management officials in Grenada began distributing emergency supplies ahead of Tomas by October 29. The next day, gas stations across the island ran out of fuel as residents prepared for the storm, and the Maurice Bishop International Airport suspended its operations.

Central Caribbean
Following the weakening storm's west-southwesterly motion over the central Caribbean, swells generated breaking waves along coastal sections of the ABC islands on the morning of November 1. Consequently, a small craft advisory was issued for all three islands at 10:15 am. Shelters were readied along the southern coast of Curaçao, and the opening festival for the tumba season was postponed. Because Tomas' windfield was forecast to stay well to the north, officials did not issue any tropical cyclone warnings for the islands; however, a state of severe weather was declared for Bonaire and Curaçao at 8:00 pm, as radar images showed the development of strong thunderstorms over the region.

In Haiti, devastated earlier in the year by the deadly January 12 earthquake, government officials began preparing for possible impact from Tomas by October 30. One United Nations spokesperson remarked that a hurricane strike would be "the last thing Haiti needs". The Haitian government issued an orange storm alert, one level short of the highest state of alert, and warned for the possibility of winds, thunderstorms, and flooding.

South and Central America
Squalls and swells from Tomas' outer bands threatened the coasts of Guyana and eastern Venezuela on October 29; residents in flood-prone areas and operators of air- and seacrafts were advised to exercise caution.

Barbados
http://gisbarbados.gov.bb/blog/tour-of-houses-damaged-by-tomas/ http://gisbarbados.gov.bb/blog/37-million-house-repair-bill-after-tropical-storm-tomas/ http://gisbarbados.gov.bb/blog/government-regrets-losses-to-agricultural-sector-by-tropical-storm-tomas/ http://gisbarbados.gov.bb/blog/government-will-leave-no-stone-unturned-to-assist-persons-affected-by-tomas/

Rest of the Windward Islands
TT$50 million (US$7.85 million) in Tobago. TT$4 million (US$630,000) Total losses of TT$54 million (US$8.5 million) across TT.

Martinique: http://www.meteo.fr/temps/domtom/antilles/pack-public/cyclone/saison2010/Tomas_VBB_3.pdf http://www.zinfos974.com/La-Martinique-touchee-par-l-ouragan-Tomas_a22635.html http://politiques-publiques.com/martinique/tomas-est-le-pire-ouragan-que-nous-ayons-connu/

Barbados
The morning after the storm, emergency teams across Barbados performed damage assessments and immediately began clearing trees and debris from nearly 100 roads. The Barbados Light and Power Company dispatched workers to restore the power distribution, although efforts were slow to be completed; in parts of Saint Lucy and Saint Michael, power line repairs took more than two weeks. Following outages in water pumping stations, several areas suffering from water shortages were supplied with water tanks. In coordination with the Barbadian government, the Barbados Red Cross Society distributed relief supplies to 214 households affected by Tomas, including 100 tarpaulins for those without roofs. Others left homeless sought shelter in schools and churches. By November 8, all but one of the island's schools—many damaged in the storm or serving as shelters—had reopened their doors to students.

Based on the wind damage pattern from Tomas, the government of Barbados received $8.5 million in insurance payouts from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF).