The Met Services Director is urging yachtsmen and small craft operators to keep away from the sea from Wednesday. Thomas Auguste says a low pressure system located over the Northern Atlantic will generate heavy swells. It is expected to affect St. Lucia directly from Thursday, through the Easter weekend.

The Chief Fisheries Officer is also calling on local fishermen to heed the warning from the Met Office. Vaughn Charles says fishers should take precaution to ensure there is no loss of life.

Residents of coastal communities are especially at risk. Auguste says residents should remain cautious and follow guidelines set out by the Met and Emergency Services. Authorities are advising strongly that yachts and small craft should not to go out to sea on Wednesday March 19, as there is a significant risk that conditions at the entrance to all bays will prevent a safe return. There are no evacuation plans for residents in low lying areas. Auguste says this is not a tropical system and it is expected to diminish after its passage through the Caribbean.

He says he did not deem it necessary to trim the tree on his side, since he felt there was no immediate threat to his house. He readily admits that this thinking was wrong – and says he will not make this mistake again. Numa has not assessed the damage to his property. For him, cleaning up is the priority. He is however urging others to learn from his mistake and take advantage of tree trimming services.

Prime Minister Stephenson King is set to deliver his first budget presentation in the next few weeks. King has predicted a future of mixed fortunes for St. Lucia, but says the focus now is on increasing government revenue. He says preparations for that anticipated address are nearing completion. The Prime Minister says cabinet is now examining projections by the various ministries. A cabinet policy committee on the budget met last week to review programmes presented by ministers. King says government is ensuring that those programmes are in keeping with the administration’s development goals.

A second round of meetings with all ministries is expected to get underway this week. Sector agencies will then be invited to make their contributions to cabinet. The budget presentation is scheduled for the second or third week in April. The prime minister says estimated figures for the budget are not yet available.

The financial assistance from SLASPA`S Sports and Cultural Club is a contribution towards improving the learning experience of the seventy-two children attending the Donatur School. The three thousand-dollar donation will be used to purchase learning tools to facilitate the children’s development. School Principal Carolyn Archibald says the donation will assist the children to achieve their full potential. SLASPA`S Sports and Cultural Club will also carry out a facelift of the Donatur School. The Club’s President Eldon Francois says the financial donation to the school is testament of the club’s commitment to giving back to the society.

The School Principal says financial assistance can go a long way, but there are things that ordinary citizens can do to make learning better for the special ed students. The President of SLASPA`s Sports and Cultural Club says the organization will continue to make donations to the school.

The forty-four million dollar net profit recorded by the East Caribbean Financial Holding Company in 2007 is a 26% increase over the previous year. The Managing Director of ECFH Robert Nostrum says this is an endorsement of the company as a leading financial institution.

The company’s total shareholder equity increased to $320Million – a jump of 84% - as a result of the ECFH’s public share offering in 2007.

Nostrum says when compared to other returns, those are superior. He says the potential for capital appreciation is an important aspect of the shares purchased by holders. Nostrum says the company was able to maintain dividends of seventy cents per ordinary share. He says the company’s profit and asset growth was consistent with pervious years. The ECFH Managing Director says the growth is a combination of several factors, chief among them is the strategic operational approach of the company.

The forty-four million dollar profit margin is the largest so far for the financial institution. Nostrum says the Bank will begin distributing the profits to its shareholders later this month. The East Caribbean Financial Holding Company is the parent company of Bank of St. Lucia.

The Pitons Management Area achieved UNESCO World Heritage Status in 2004 and the St. Lucia National Trust wants to ensure that it retains this. At its last meeting in June 2007, the World Heritage Committee expressed concern over ongoing development in the area – and urged Government to take immediate action to ensure the designation of the site. National Trust Director Bishnu Tulsie says Trust Officials are in discussions with an International environmental funding organisation to develop a project that will protect the area’s world heritage status.

Tulsie says the project will try to clarify the role of the World Heritage Committee and the importance of the Pitons Management Area to St. Lucia The project will include input from residents of Soufriere. Tulsie says those residents have felt alienated from the operations and benefits of the Area for too long. The project is part of the Trust’s new advocacy policy.

The next project has already been identified. Trust Officials have received information on proposed developments for the Grand Anse area and have developed a presentation on sustainable use of that ecosystem.

The need for a business continuity plan was underscored for the Police Credit Union last year, after a fire destroyed one floor of the building. That is one of the reasons Albert James was at the first in two one-day workshops on business continuity management. James, the CEO of the Police Credit Union, says his organization had no plan in place. The National Emergency Management Organisation has teamed with USAID for the workshops. NEMO Director – Dawn French says her organization in continuing to work with various corporations to have a plan in place in case of disasters.

French says participants in the workshop are varied, with some already completing their disaster plans, and others not having one. She does not think people regard the preparation of a plan as unimportant, but it’s a matter of prioritizing. Another one-day workshop will be held for other corporate entities on Wednesday. NEMO says it will assist all institutions that require help in preparing their disaster plans.