The Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Service (ABMS) will host a two-day national workshop next year to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for flood forecasting and warning — a move that could position the twin-island nation among the first in the Caribbean to deploy advanced flood forecasting technology.
According to Antigua News Room, the National Institutional Workshop on the Development of SOPs for Flood Forecasting and Warning is scheduled for June 25–26, 2026, at the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) on American Road, Saint John's. The event is being organised by the ABMS in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The workshop forms part of the Early Warning Systems for Floods (EWS-F) Project, funded by the United States Department of State. It represents a key milestone in the country's efforts to strengthen climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, and multi-hazard early warning systems — forming part of the broader ABMS Meteorological Renaissance 2030 agenda and the global Early Warnings for All (EW4ALL) initiative.
A wide cross-section of national stakeholders — spanning flood risk management, infrastructure planning, land-use management, water resource management, emergency response, academia, and the private sector — will participate in the two-day event. Organisers say the breadth of participation reflects the need for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to effective flood early warning.
A major focus of the workshop will be preparing Antigua and Barbuda for the rollout of the Urban and Flash Flood Information System (UFFIS), an advanced flood forecasting and decision-support platform being introduced under the EWS-F Project. Once operational, UFFIS will provide capabilities for monitoring, forecasting, and issuing warnings for urban and flash flood events, enabling authorities to anticipate impacts and make informed decisions before, during, and after flood emergencies.
Antigua and Barbuda is poised to become one of only a handful of countries in the Caribbean — and potentially one of the first three in the region — to benefit from this technology, placing the nation at the forefront of regional efforts to modernise flood forecasting.
ABMS Director Dale Destin emphasised the importance of translating forecasts into action.
"Flood warnings must be more than forecasts — they must be actionable guidance that leads to timely decisions and protective action," Destin said. "This workshop represents a critical step toward building a truly integrated, impact-based flood early warning system for Antigua and Barbuda. By bringing together all relevant stakeholders, we are strengthening the institutional partnerships and operational procedures necessary to ensure that warnings reach the right people at the right time and lead to meaningful action."
Destin also framed the initiative within the wider economic case for investment in meteorological services.
"This initiative is also an important component of the ABMS Meteorological Renaissance and Antigua and Barbuda's implementation of Early Warnings for All," he said. "It demonstrates how strategic investment in meteorological and hydrological services generates benefits far beyond weather forecasting. Every dollar invested in the Meteorological Service strengthens public safety, protects critical infrastructure, supports economic development, enhances climate resilience, and reduces disaster losses. Strong meteorological services are not a cost; they are a national investment in resilience, sustainability, and prosperity."
The ABMS notes that its services have the potential to deliver up to 6% of GDP annually in avoided costs — roughly XCD 200–400 million (USD 74–150 million) — through disaster loss prevention and improved operational efficiency.
The workshop's outcomes are expected to directly inform the development of operational flood forecasting and warning SOPs, helping to ensure that future warnings are timely, coordinated, impact-based, and actionable. The ABMS extended appreciation to NODS for providing the venue and supporting the initiative.
