‘Get the work done and on time’
PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller has instructed the responsible government agencies to immediately begin the cleaning of drains and gullies in preparation for what is expected to be an active hurricane season.
According to a Jamaica House statement, Simpson Miller told the agencies at Thursday’s meeting of the National Disaster Committee to be aggressive and get the work done on time, to mitigate the effects of adverse weather conditions.
The prime minister, Jamaica House said, also cautioned against the setting up of shelters in vulnerable areas, and said that training for shelter manager and residents should include how to care for facilities that are used as shelters during hurricanes, in particular schools.
In the meantime, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has reported that its response time to disasters improved during the 2005 hurricane season.
Director General of the ODPEM Dr Barbara Carby told the meeting that the National Emergency Operations Centre was activated three times during last year’s season, and the centre was up and running within 36 hours of the threat of hurricane Dennis.
She said there had also been an upgrading of the equipment and resources required by the agency for a more effective response and that this had been made possible by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) and other external agencies.
CDERA has also outfitted the Jamaica Fire Brigade with a new search and rescue system. Other agencies, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), have also assisted with training in disaster preparedness.
Dr Barbara Carby said a draft disaster management plan has been developed for the staging of the 2007 Cricket World Cup and includes a venue plan for both Sabina Park and the greenfield stadium in Trelawny.
However, she said some areas in need of urgent attention included the coastal development practices and the development of a more innovative approach to flood mitigation.
The Atlantic Hurricane Season began on June 1 and ends on November 30.
