Peters – No Blackberry messages from NEMO

The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) is reminding persons that it is a criminal offence to declare a disaster alert, after Blackberry Messenger (BBM) messages were circulated during the passage of a tropical wave over the island over the holiday weekend.{{more}}

Acting Deputy Director of NEMO Huldah Peters in a telephone interview with SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday referred to a press release that was issued in June this year, which appealed to persons who were not authorized to send out disaster alerts to refrain from doing so.

“We don’t send messages by BBM…. We use radio, fax, email, and the service providers (LIME, Digicel) use text messages, if there is a storm or hurricane warning.”

Peters pointed out that the previous release mentioned section 37 (1) of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Emergency and Disaster Management Act number 15 of 2006, which states that a person who commits such an offence shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or to both a fine and a term of imprisonment.

Peters said that any messages on BBM claiming to be information from NEMO should be disregarded, and that these messages are persons using their smart phones for an act of mischief.

The release had noted that NEMO and the Meteorological office would monitor all weather systems and make the necessary announcements.