MONTEGO BAY, St James — Stakeholders in western Jamaica with responsibility for ensuring that emergency supplies are optimised came together, Monday, for day one of a three-day workshop aimed at strengthening the country’s logistics in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Talks, which drew heavily on lessons from Hurricane Beryl, took on added significance as another active storm season has begun.

St James Municipal Corporation was the venue for warehouse management training, and the local authority’s CEO Naudia Crosskill offered sage advice.

“I know that many times we say to the people, ‘You are to go in with one day’s supply’, but that is easier said than done. Many persons get their food on a day-to-day basis so they don’t have extras to go in the centre,” she stressed.

“If you have a hurricane maybe they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go out and get that one-day supply. We have to be prepared to take food, from day one, to the shelter and so I believe that this warehouse training is in order,” Crosskill added.

The Atlantic hurricane season began June 1 and ends November 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted above-normal hurricane activity this year.

The NOAA is forecasting 13 to 19 named storms. Of those, six to 10 are forecast to become hurricanes, including three to five major hurricanes.

Municipal corporations across the country recently gave updates on their state of readiness. Many have indicated that their shelters have been inspected and approved for the housing of individuals should that be required.

A major component of shelter management involves provision of supplies to these facilities before and after a disaster.

“You can only respond well if you manage your warehouse well,” Crosskill cautioned Monday.

The workshop touched on issues such as how proper storage of supplies can reduce spoilage. It is being done by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in tandem with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

As logistics associate with the WFP Jonario Dwyer explained, “We are having this training today because the WFP recognised that there was a gap in warehousing requirements coming out of Hurricane Beryl last year in 2024.”

“We proposed to the Government to do this technical capacity strengthening initiative to bolster every stakeholder that has a role to play in warehouse in an emergency context,” he added.

This is the second such event; one was held in the eastern end of the country in October 2024. Monday’s participants included disaster preparedness coordinators, personnel from the labour ministry, fire brigade, poor relief, Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Salvation Army as well as Jamaica Red Cross. Dwyer said the plan is to provide training for a wide swathe of the population.

“We are trying to do an all-island roll out to train all disaster regions in Jamaica,” he stated on the margins of the event that saw participants from Westmoreland, Hanover, St James and Trelawny.

The workshop will cover principles of warehouse operations in an emergency context; understanding warehouse procedures and protocols; warehouse occupational health and safety standards; temperature sensitive strategies to manage heat generation for relief supplies; distribution strategies for humanitarian assistance; exposure to the disaster risk management framework, and more.

On the third and last day, participants will travel to ODPEM’s Montpelier warehouse where they will receive hands-on training on warehouse operations in an emergency context.