TEST runs are being conducted on disaster emergency communication equipment and infrastructure which was funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Jamaican Government.

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said the system will ensure that there is effective communication of information during and after the passing of Hurricane Beryl.

“I must say to the country that the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) will be able to communicate to the country during the period of the hurricane [and] after the hurricane. The communication system, I think, is a game-changer for Jamaica. It’s the first time in the history of Jamaica that we will have a telecommunication system that will cover the entire island during [and] after,” said McKenzie.

The minister spoke at a press conference on Monday with all emergency agencies preparing for Hurricane Beryl, which is expected to affect Jamaica by Wednesday.

“I want to give the country the assurance that ODPEM is in a position to respond and to respond positively to any outcome that faces us over the next couple of hours,” he said.

The $2-billion investment is an initiative, under the ‘Implementation of Emergency Communications System Improvement Project in Jamaica’, aimed at developing a national emergency communication system to coordinate incident response among key government agencies and volunteers.

A total of 15 early warning siren towers were built at Port Maria in St Mary, Old Harbour Bay, and in the Angels to Bog Walk corridor in St Catherine to transmit messages issued by ODPEM to residents and commuters in vulnerable communities. Additionally, 292 mobile radios have been installed in emergency vehicles to make first responders better able to communicate.

The system is expected to extend Jamaica’s emergency communication coverage to approximately 95 per cent.

“It is a broad-based radio telecommunication system that is spread right across the country, all 14 parishes. There are base stations that have been erected in each municipality and selected locations across the country…This system ties in the police [and] ties in the Jamaica Fire Brigade, so it’s a broad-based communication system that is established in the ODPEM that is manned by the Jamaica Fire Brigade,” he explained.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, responding to a question that highlighted concerns raised about ODPEM’s response time after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake in October last year, assured citizens that the agency would have a more robust response.

“We’ve recognised that as a gap and what we have decided to do now is to reinforce ODPEM’s communication abilities with support from the Jamaica Information Service (
JIS), which in any event JIS would be part of their centralised response; but so that we have a very effective communication strategy now the JIS will take the lead in ensuring that the necessary information that the public should get, particularly the technical information that, that will be provided and supported in terms of the decisions that ODPEM would make, then the JIS would convey that,” said Holness.

He urged citizens to also stay up to date relying on information from credible traditional media sources.

“We’re going to be relying on our media that we expect to be still up and broadcasting even during the hurricane as best as possible, but even if we were to have a disruption in media we still have an emergency communication service which is largely for the internal working of the government,” said the Prime Minister.

He assured citizens that even during disruptions the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), JDF, and ODPEM will still be operational. Additionally, Holness stated that the Government will continue to further develop Internet links should telecommunication services be disrupted.

At the same time, Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz said that both Flow and Digicel have assured him that their emergency plans are in place. He added that he will have discussions with Starlink, a satellite Internet constellation, to discuss how it can assist with coverage.