MONTEGO BAY, St James — More than $30 million has been earmarked for drain cleaning in St James as part of hurricane season preparation, but the city’s Mayor Richard Vernon is asking for $30 million more.

“All critical drains have been inspected and a total of $30.6 million has been allocated from the Parochial Revenue Fund to all 17 divisions to carry out comprehensive drain cleaning works,” he disclosed.

“We have also noted that there are some critical drains that need an additional $30 million, and we have requested it from the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development to facilitate the further cleaning of these drains,” the mayor added.

He was speaking during last Thursday’s regular monthly meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation (SJMC).

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and local authorities across Jamaica have been providing updates on their state of readiness. Despite the need for additional funds for drain cleaning, Mayor Vernon said St James is in a good position to weather storms that may come.

“Generally, Montego Bay is ready for the hurricane season, and we are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst,” he said.

As part of the update he provided details on the state of shelters. The recommendation is for 59 of them to be made available, with quarantine areas identified and demarcated in each.

“Shelter inspections have been completed, and this was done jointly with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and the Jamaica Fire Brigade,” Vernon said.

“We also have shelters available for the homeless that were established some time ago, and we still maintain that status quo to ensure that we facilitate persons who have lived experiences of homelessness during this time of need,” he added.

Shelter manager training continues, with one session conducted at the SJMC office last Friday.

“We will continue the training for them in June and ensure that they are properly equipped with the protective gear; this will be done by Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM),” said the mayor.

The emergency operations centre (EOC) is also ready to be set up at a moment’s notice, and systems are in place for resources to be provided during an emergency.

Additionally, Vernon told the meeting that the parish infirmary and night shelters are also prepared. He noted, though, that while the infirmary has a back-up generator, the night shelters do not. However, the mayor assured that measures are in place to address that issue as needed.

He also spoke of the readiness of agencies the SJMC will work with in emergency situations, such as the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and the Montego Bay Metro bus service.

“You know we don’t do things alone, and we have a very robust relationship with all our key agencies here in the municipality of St James. Thus far, generally, they are in a state of readiness,” said Vernon.

He also gave assurance that efforts are being made to mitigate the adverse effects of any interruption in utility supplies.

“The staff is on standby to deal with emergencies in case we have to deal with a hurricane, just as we did last year. However, we might not have the same situation to deal with as they [utility providers] are much more prepared this time,” the mayor said.