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GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) The record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season comes to an official end on Monday, November 30 with 30-named storms under its belt.

Disaster Coordinator and Fire Commander Clive Richardson, and on behalf of Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, chairlady of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), is thankful that the nation has been spared the full onslaught of a major hurricane for the record-breaking 2020 season which saw 30 named storms, of which 13 became hurricanes, including six (6) major hurricanes with winds of 111 miles per hour or greater.

An average season has 12 named storms; six hurricanes; and three major hurricanes.

The 2020 Atlantic season got off to an early start with nine named storms from May 16 with the first named storm Arthur followed by another eight through July. There were 10-named storms that formed in September alone, the most for any month on record.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that falls under the U.S. Department of Commerce, tropical storms may continue to develop past November 30.

The NOAA says that this season has the most storms on record, surpassing the 28 from 2005, and the second-highest number of hurricanes on record.

This is also the fifth consecutive year with an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, with 18 above-normal seasons out of the past 26.

The countrys Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) met on July 27 in connection with a weather-related event for the hurricane season.

We have a lot to be thankful for as a community. We were able to make it through this very active hurricane season.

Our nations Disaster Management Organization of 10 Emergency Support Functions made the necessary preparations as part of our annual disaster readiness assessment which takes place prior to the start of the season.

Even though the season comes to an end, I am asking everyone to stay diligent as there are other natural disaster events or manmade disasters that can occur.

Always be prepared by having an emergency kit and plan in place similar to the preparations that you take during the hurricane season.

We are still going through the COVID-19 pandemic, and with community transmission, I appeal to all residents and visitors to strictly adhere to wearing a mask when outdoors; wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 per cent alcohol content; and maintain a safe distance of two meters (six feet) from others social distancing.

May you and your family safely enjoy the upcoming holiday season in a healthy and safe manner, Disaster Coordinator Clive Richardson told the Department of Communication (DCOMM) on Sunday.

The 30-named storms for the season were: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky, and Wilfred.

The Greek alphabet had to be used after running out of storm names based on the annual Atlantic list: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, and Iota.

The NOAA says that this is only the second time in history that the Greek alphabet was used for the remainder of the season.

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