Director of the Department of Disaster Management Jasen Penn says with the United States ending the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, which shared weather satellite data with forecasters at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration would create some challenges for countries including the BVI.
Penn said those satellites provided structural information about weather systems, adding they assisted with gathering detailed data on storm intensity, location of the centre, and development.”
Penn said while other monitoring tools including the Hurricane Hunter Aircraft and the GOES satellites remain in use, some experts fear the change may mean an increased margin of error in forecasts.
But the DDM Director says all is not lost.
