Holness tells councillors, MPs to prepare for Hurricane Matthew
ST ANDREW, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness in a brief statement a short while ago urged Members of Parliament and Councillors to stay on the ground in light of a threatening Hurricane Matthew.
The Meteorological Service has placed the country on high alert for the storm that is expected to hit the island between Sunday night and Monday morning.
“Government of Jamaica is on high alert for a hurricane expected to hit Jamaica. It is not panic mode it is preparedness mode,” Holness told members of parliament, the media, heads of government agencies and civil servants present at an Office of the Prime Minister press conference now underway to discuss the islands readiness for the storm.
Holness added that Hurricane Matthew comes at a time when the government is “on process to place the country on a path to economic growth”.
He argued that the only way to mitigate any likely disaster is for Jamaicans to be prepared.
The prime minister urged MPs to go out with their councillors to check gullies and drains and be ready to report back to government so that arrangements can be made to deal with any problem that might arise.
He pointed out that the last time the government raised the country’s level to critical it was heavily criticised.
“In this instance, I’m urging all citizens to take it serious and prepare,” he said.
Kimone Francis