KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness says he is thankful that, so far, there have been no reported deaths or serious injuries arising from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake which impacted Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines Wednesday morning.

Prime Minister Holness says Jamaica stands ready to provide assistance to both countries in ensuring a speedy return to normality as possible.

He said: “The catastrophic earthquakes that affected Japan and Ecuador recently, as well as this closer-to-home tremor that impacted Barbados and St Vincent, bring into sharp focus the importance of disaster preparedness. These events underscore how critical it is to have effective protocols in place to respond and coordinate relief effort in the event of an earthquake.

“Given the importance of heightening Jamaica’s preparedness, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management is being called in to update me on the country’s state of preparedness and apprise the Government of areas of need as well as the protocols governing response to a major earthquake,” Holness said.

The prime minister continued: “The Government recognises that while earthquakes are events over which no one has control, a significant difference can be made to how devastating its impact is if there is an integrated and effectively coordinated response protocol in place.

“As chairman of the National Disaster Preparedness Committee, I am engaging ODPEM to ensure that as far as possible, all the critical first responders and relief agencies are in a state of preparedness and able to function effectively in the event of a serious earthquake or similarly catastrophic event. Public education will also be an area of focus as it is important to inform citizens of steps they can take to better prepare for a catastrophic earthquake as well as the role they can play in safeguarding lives in the event there is one.”