KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie, in his address to Parliament today about the preparedness of the country during the projected onslaught of Hurricane Matthew last week, said that he is relieved and grateful that the hurricane veered away from its projected path, “away from our island home”.

He said that the government took all necessary measures to prepare the country for what was expected to be the onslaught of Matthew as it moved in a north-easterly direction past Jamaica.

In light of the onslaught that Hurricane Matthew meted on Haiti, McKenzie said that “the expressions of dismay and disappointment from some citizens that the Government had elevated the hurricane threat in the public mind, only for mainly rains to occur. To them I say: ‘Count your blessings, count them one by one’.”

He said that the weather system provided an opportunity for Jamaica to put the disaster preparedness and response mechanism to work, and to evaluate its effectiveness to ensure continuous improvement.