 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Junal Norville, this edition's top stories. The island's Prime Minister calls for an immediate solution to climate change. The long-awaited road improvement project has begun. St. Lucian's gets set for Creole Heritage Months. All that plus the NTN novel of Creole. As the United Nations Climate Action Summit got underway in New York, plans to address the global climate emergency are being thrashed out. Caricum Chairman and Prime Minister, the Honourable Alan Shastney, made his contribution at the morning session on Monday, September 23, 2019. Anisia Antoine reports. The Caribbean region has in recent times experienced the worst impacts of climate change. Take September 1, 2019 for example, when hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas, killing over 50 people and leaving tens of thousands displaced. The Category 5 hurricane stalled over the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama for approximately 48 hours, bringing life-threatening floods and storm surges. Small island developing states have repeatedly called for the organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, to reclassify developing countries so they can access much-needed funds to mitigate and adapt to climate change. At the UN Climate Action Summit, Caricum Chairman and Prime Minister, Hon. Alan Shastney, said that time has run out on our islands and our requests continue to go unanswered. We have said repeatedly that the OECD needs to change the way it classifies developing countries and that we have asked them to adopt the vulnerability index that was established in 1989 by the Commonwealth Secretariat, 1989. Two, that there needs to be a dedicated fund. So even though there are funds that were allocated yesterday to double up for the Green Climate Fund, the SIDS continue to lament the fact the difficulty of us drawing down on those funds. Three, that once we establish those funds, the governance procedures that now manage those funds needs to change to take into consideration that the next hurricane season is upon us and that we can't wait for a typical five-year project cycle. And lastly, that how we classify the debt that we're going to incur to invest in this infrastructure cannot go on our books because what we may gain in physical climate change resilience we're now going to lose in economic resilience. But it's not just the cost of climate mitigation and adaptation, it's the additional costs that small island developing states are now being faced with including insurance and refugees. When I see small businesses in my country that their cost of insurance now has become 20% of their operating cost, we're now getting to where it's economically unsustainable to be able to have insurance. There is a new cost of these hurricanes which we had not anticipated and that is one that Prime Minister Motley alluded to which is refugees. In the case of Bahamas, 50,000 people are going to have to be evacuated. When we say temporarily, we're talking about a year and a half to two years before those countries can be rebuilt. Who is going to sustain those people? Where are they going to go to school? What job are they going to have? These are the practical realities that we're dealing with on ground zero of SIDS. Honourable Shastney implored the major agencies involved to find a solution to help solve the problem of climate change. Climate change does not discriminate. It has started with us because we're close to the equator, but it's soon coming to your doorsteps. Allow the SIDS to be that lab of figuring out how we're going to be able to deal with this climate change issue. And through our solutions, you will also be helping yourself in the future. The Climate Action Summit took place on September 23 at the United Nations 74th General Assembly in New York. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. Meantime, Prime Minister, the Honourable Island Shastney continued to lobby on behalf of small island developing states, SIDS, when it comes to the issue of black listing and climate resilience during a bilateral meeting with Ireland Deputy Prime Minister, His Excellency Simone Conveny. Prime Minister Shastney engaged the Ireland Deputy Prime Minister on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly about EU decisions that directly impact the ability of small islands to be competitive. He explained the issues faced by the Caribbean with correspondence banking and the EU's black listing of St. Lucia and other islands when it comes to taxation. The two leaders also discussed the access to funds for resilience building and encouraging the organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, to use the Vulnerability Index for countries established by the Commonwealth. Ireland expressed interest in assisting St. Lucia in finding practical solutions to climate resilience and cooperation in the areas of agriculture and education. The much anticipated island-wide road improvement project has begun. The two-and-a-half-year project, which is being funded by the Republic of China, Taiwan, will see improvements to 48 roads, spanning some 101 kilometres. The Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Energy and Labour, and by extension the Government of St. Lucia, is undertaking a comprehensive road improvement project. The project will see the full rehabilitation of roads throughout the length and breadth of the island. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Energy and Labour, Iva Danielle, indicated that while the infrastructure teams have been conducting daily portholean initiatives, so as to allow the motoring public the smoothest commutes, the roads are in need of extensive improvements. We've carried out an assessment and based on our assessment through our road maintenance management system, we found that most of our primary roads and secondary roads are within sort of fair to relatively good condition. We've made some improvements to it. The three roads are in a deployable state and we definitely for some time now have been working to improve the conditions. On a daily basis, we have our maintenance, our routine maintenance team going out there, conducting portholean works and improvements as best as possible. We can really tell that the pavement is fatigue and a number of the pavements require an overlay. An overlay that is really unmaintained and that is really needed at this point. But you can well imagine that the government has some fiscal constraints and so we have to be at it and try to ensure that we keep it in a motorable condition. The Ministry assured members of the public that all roads will be addressed. The contractor on the project is the Overseas Engineering and Construction Corporation, OECC, and works will be supervised by the Ministry of Infrastructure, project manager and supervising engineer in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Naomi Sherry, provided some insight into the scope of works to be undertaken. She explained proper measures are being taken to ensure the safety of the public at every turn and utility companies have also been informed of the works taking place in case they are to respond. As PSAs indicated, subcontractors have been engaged for the design and construction of the works. The scope of the works would involve the rehabilitation of the entire pavement, the base and sub-base, as well as retaining walls where necessary, the bridges covered, drainage, road markings, guardrails. Communications officer in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports Energy and Labor, Shannon Le Bon, lists the roads to be rehabilitated. The Piat Road in Granivier are marked for some improvement. The Marys Hill Granivier Union, the Kazaba Road that project has started, lower and upper new development road in Soufra. Deramo to Le Labon Junction, the Blanchard Road and Spring Road in Miku, Bolo Bell Denmi Village, Lowry Tread in Moshi, Kako to Jira, Pebush Gap to Monsito via Laguerre, Pebush to Monsito via Plateau, Sevan Aho, Blackstone in Jackmel, Tetshima in Vana, the Mack Road, Soufra for Sejak, Esperance, Diamond Road through to Soufra, La Pancé to Mondador, Green Mountain Road, Ring Road, High Street to Mont Jarrell Ring Road, Hospital Road, Ticolour to Barca-Joseph, the Road to the Back of Mont Bakery before the Old Kentucky Road, the Link Road from Mont Ripot Highway to Paseus Combined School, Paseus Lobar, Grass Street Mont Ripot, Main Roads in the Miku Village, St. Marie Road in Miku, Flamboyant Way, Kulf Park, Kappa State, Shouse Road, St. Jude's Highway, Fisher Road through to Waterwalks Road, Péroude Bellevue, Zabo to Bellevue, Ogier St. Jude's, the Norbert Road, Ingrosely, Norbert to Café, Lafayé to Café, Old Military Road, Number 2, Bancé-Joux, Belle Rosa, Bonter, Access Road, and the New Union Roundabout. The Road Improvement Project will cost a total of 42 million US dollars. For the Government Information Service, I am General Norville. The Government of the Republic of Korea has donated US $120,000 in the form of a grant to the St. Lucia Fire Service. The grant forms part of the Budget of Korea's International Development Corporation Fund for 2019. Ambassador Designate of the Republic of Korea to St. Lucia, His Excellency Sung Moon-up, stated that the donation will enhance the capacity of the fire service towards national disaster response in St. Lucia. The handing over ceremony took place on Wednesday 25 September 2019 at the Department of External Affairs. Chief Fire Officer Joseph Joseph expressed gratitude to the Government of Korea for their contribution. I can assure you that this contribution will certainly be put into effective use. Our department has identified some items which will serve to enhance our response capabilities, mainly in areas of fire suppression and rescue operations. Fire suppression will get a boost from the purchase of portable pumps, gas detectors while Joseph Life equipment will be purchased to enhance our rescue operations. We will also be acquiring a vehicle to assist with our emergency and non-emergency transportation needs. The Government of St. Lucia and the Government of the Republic of Korea recently commemorated 40 years of diplomatic relations. This is NTN 9th Lee. Stay with us. When a hurricane is approaching, safety of life and the preservation of livelihoods is most important. We should take heed. Create proper drainage along the contour of your farm. Harvest and store all crops that could be harvested. And if possible to sell any produce, do so. Reinforce farmhouses by using screws or hurricane ties to secure the roof and ensure that it is boarded up. Remove all plastic covers from greenhouses and store properly in your reinforced farmhouse. Secure all official agriculture and farming business documents and policies in sealed plastic coverings. And perhaps consider taking out a crop insurance policy to secure your agri-livinghood. Take all possible precaution ahead of a hurricane or tropical storm. This is the hurricane season and we should be prepared. A message brought to you by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Cooperatives. Welcome back. St. Lucia is preparing to host its Creole Heritage Month under the theme they could versically see, they could do. The month-long celebrations is encouraging St. Lucia to embark on a journey of self-discovery. The celebrations are collaborated between the more senior Patrick Anthony Folk Research Center, Cultural Development Foundation and Events Company of St. Lucia. The official launch takes place on Sunday, September 29, 2019 in Souffre. We begin with 7L at 4am then there's the self-springs park wellness focus and then the official launch with performances sale of food and whatnot will be happening at the vendors market slash Old Trafford and that will go up and that will be from 1 till 7 and our major partner in this is also the Souffre Regional Development Foundation. There are a number of discounted tours and heritage sites that as part of discovering Souffre is being created. As part of the celebrations the Cultural Development Foundation is again hosting its cultural icon series. Executive Director Romona Henry-Winn says this year's icon is Vincent Joseph Yudovic. The Cultural Development Foundation will for 2019 Creole Heritage Month will be hosting our Cultural Icon Series as well as the Margaret Guamfet. Margaret is normally observed on the 17th of October. Our Icon Series what it seeks to do is to honour and celebrate persons who have made an indelible contribution towards the arts. We honour those persons because we want to ensure that their work and their history the life that they have lived in terms of becoming an icon is known by all Saint Lucians. We want to ensure that there is this awareness especially amongst our young persons that they know who the contributors to the arts are who are the architects of Saint Lucia's arts and culture. The Minister of Responsibility for Culture and Creative Industries Honourable Fortuna Bell Rose in all aspects of the arts and culture. Our theme for this year's celebrations was all in and I think as we look at our Creole Heritage that's what we saw all different races, all different cultures made it happen for us and so we'll be getting a chance to celebrate within Creole Heritage that objective of being together as a people in the month of October so more importantly, next week when we unveil the monument or the sculpture symbolizing we are all in. Activities for the month will take place in Labry, Miko, Viewford and Grosily. Stay with NTIA Nightly up next, Primus Hutchingson is here with the NTIA Nouvelle, a Creole. I was in my neighborhood it was a very dark night I decided to go for a drink by a bar on my way from the bar I felt distinct to my right leg when I look back I knew it was a fuller snake You happen to be in an area where there are snakes and you are bitten by a snake this is what you do you call for help and try to reach the Victoria Hospital within one or three hours you will be seen immediately My uncle at the time was a police officer called the arm Victoria Hospital and told them that we're coming down for a snake bite It's the only facility on the island which has a protocol and a treatment plan where you can be treated adequately We call them before you go there so they can prepare for you Rest assured that there are adequate supplies of antivenom with doctors who have been trained in the treatment protocols of the snake bite Welcome back We join Primus Hutchingson for the NTIA Nouvelle, a Creole M.M.D.P. Reformation and government G.I.S. National Television N.T.N. Primus Hutchingson Prime Minister can make a call to the Creole to make a classification to make it more possible to find help to reduce climate change I'm from Creole and I'm very happy to be here for the first time in September in the country of Bahamas with more than 5,000 and more than 1,000 in the public sector Now that we have developed I would like to call Gorge Sec who had his organization for economic cooperation and development in the United Nations to assist and help the country Prime Minister Alene Shastney declared that as soon as we make a call to the Creole to make a classification to make a classification to make it more possible to find help to reduce climate change especially to avoid the problem of the Creole Prime Minister and to assist the major salar to find a solution to the problem of climate change As a result in the United Nations on 23 September the 14th of the United Nations in New York The organization of the US State which is in the Netherlands on 28 September will deliver in its best to strengthen the economic sector of the country to reposition the sector of the country to find sustainable development Deliberation of the salar and its ministers to measure the contribution of the sector of the country to strengthen the business and economic capacity of the Creole We also have to look at how to achieve cultural heritage to develop a branch to find an increase of sustainable economic The initiative of the salar to come to the Ministry of Tourism to prepare to measure the way to make the tourism industry to grow the economy to pay attention to the development of the culture to make the tourism industry to grow the speed of the publicity of the culture especially the Department of Culture to strengthen the national network of cultural heritage to grow the culture of the industry to make the industry of the Creole to pay attention to the development of the culture of the industry of the Creole to make the construction of the industry to make the industry of the Creole to make the program to develop the way to make the industry to continue to serve to develop the program to exchange the opportunity of the Creole to make the industry of the industry to assist the salar with the University of Lille-de-Vierge to help advance the education to have a higher degree of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar of the salar to make it in order to degrade your bachelors and receive $6,000 every year. Chairman for Board of Governors, John Calyx, welcome to the local government. Chairman, I would like to express my condolences to all of you who have come to the University of Virgila, to help and support the economy and the society. Thank you to all of you who have come to the University of Virgila to work and find a job. I would like to express my condolences to all of you who have come to the University of Virgila. Mercier Pil Primus, have a look at what's happening to us weather-wise. Partly cloudy to cloudy with scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms over the northern New World Islands. Elsewhere, fair to partly cloudy with a few showers. Moisture and instability in the atmosphere will continue to cause cloudiness, showers and isolated thunderstorms over the northern portion of the lesser Antilles during the next 24 hours. A tropical wave located over the central tropical Atlantic is moving westward near 12 miles per hour or 19 kilometers per hour and is expected to affect the region from late Friday into Saturday. Hurricane Lorenzo continues to strengthen. At 11 am today, the center of Hurricane Lorenzo was located near latitude 14.1 north, longitude 31.1 west. Lorenzo is moving toward the west-northwest near 17 miles per hour or 28 kilometers per hour and this general motion is expected to continue through Thursday. A turn toward the northwest is expected late Thursday or Thursday night. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 85 miles per hour or 140 kilometers per hour with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days and Lorenzo is expected to become a major hurricane by Thursday. Seas slide to moderate with waves 3 to 5 feet or 0.9 to 1.5 meters. The sun will rise Thursday at 5.53 am.