Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen of the media. With me today is Kelly Trott from the Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation team. On the phone is Dr. Mark Guishard of the Bermuda Weather Service. He will give the latest weather update. You will note from his remarks that there has been a change in the approach of Hurricane Teddy. Dr. Guishard.

During today’s Emergency Measures Organization meeting I received an update on Bermuda’s readiness for the impact of Hurricane Teddy passing by Bermuda and the following decisions have been made.

Out of an abundance of caution, the EMO Operations Group will be stood up and will be operational from 9pm tonight. 

The Causeway will be closed from mid-night tonight and will reopen following an assessment once the storm has passed.

The L. F. Wade International Airport will close at 11 pm tonight and reopen on Tuesday morning at 7 am.

The Emergency Broadcast Station, FM 100.1, will begin broadcasting starting at 9 pm tonight.

Tynes Bay Public drop off will close at 7pm this evening and will not be open tomorrow. Likewise, the Airport and Marsh Folly waste facilities will also be closed tomorrow.

The Government Shelter at CedarBridge Academy will open this evening at 5pm. There will be a room available for persons  who are oxygen dependent and may need assistance.

COVID-19 testing 

• Southside testing site is open today as normal and will be closed tomorrow.
• Perot testing facility will be closed tomorrow – Monday. There will be no testing at the airport tomorrow.
• All travelers who were scheduled to be tested on Monday will be rescheduled and will receive an email notification indicating the new date, time and location. Travellers can contact the COVID-19 hotline at 441 444 2498 for assistance on their rescheduled times.
• Testing results may take up to 36 hours for Tuesday’s results due to the closure of the lab and the testing facilities.  

As it relates to public transportation, the bus service is operating today. The last bus is at 9pm tonight. There will be no bus service on Monday. The ferry service ended at 12 noon today. 

All public schools will be closed on Monday, September 21. School staff, including teachers will be expected to work from home.

Principals and custodians will conduct an assessment of schools once the all clear has been given, as instructed by the Commissioner of Education. All other staff are asked to refrain from entering school buildings to enable post storm cleanup and works to take place. 

All Government buildings will be closed on Monday. However, Public Officers are expected to work remotely from home on Monday if possibleandpersons who are required to support restarts after storm activity should report to work as soon as it is safe to do so. 

To reiterate, the EMO Operations group will be on duty at the Hamilton Fire Station from 9pm tonight. If there is anyone who needs to report storm related damages, they can call 261-4366 or (261-4EMO). The public should call this number if they are aware of downed trees or power/utility lines so that road and debris clearance crews can remove them when it is safe to do so.

I urge everyone to complete your storm preparations by this afternoon and to remain off the roads from 9 pm this evening until the closest point of arrival has passed and the all clear has been given.

I cannot emphasize enough that no-one should go into the waters during this storm. The current high surf conditions and the conditions today and tomorrow are dangerous and life threatening to swimmers, and as such there will be no lifeguards on duty.

Following the passage of Hurricane Teddy on Monday afternoon, our critical work crews from the Department of Parks, the Royal Bermuda Regiment and Ministry of Public Works will do an assessment of the roads and clear debris. We are asking the public to be mindful of these necessary works and to please, avoid travelling on the roads so that our teams can conduct their necessary works. 

In closing, I do want to remind everyone that we are still in the midst of a pandemic. Please continue to exercise caution and common sense and please remember to engage in the right health and safety activities during this time. The EMO will meet again tomorrow at 3:00pm and following that meeting I will provide another public update.

Thank you.