MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Leaders in two south-central parishes said Tuesday that all the necessary preparations have been made as they closely monitor updates on Tropical Storm Melissa.

Mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell and Mayor of Black River Richard Solomon said they met with all relevant agencies on Tuesday to finalise preparations as Jamaica remained on a tropical storm watch up to late Tuesday.

“I am advised that we have some unstable weather that is lurking in our area in Jamaica here, and… especially for those in the low-lying areas — think: Porus and Alligator Pond, and we look at the Christiana area where we tend to have some mudslides — people should be aware of and be on the lookout just in case we have [bad] weather and we have landslides and flooding,” Mitchell said.

He emphasised that the country should remember that the hurricane season is not yet over.

“[It] finishes on the 30th of November, so people are to be prepared. The municipality is prepared. We have done some drain-cleaning during the months of July and August and so most of our main drains have been cleaned. I [had] a meeting… with the administrators and the persons who are in charge of disaster preparedness, so we can know where we are and if there are any additional preparations that need to be made that we have it [done], so that persons are safe coming into this weather,” he said.

In the neighbouring parish of St Elizabeth, Solomon said he is satisfied with the outcome of a meeting among relevant agencies there.

“We just had our disaster committee meeting where we met with all the heads of agencies pertaining to this committee and we looked at our state of readiness. We basically put certain measures in place in the event that the system has a strong impact on us on this side of the island,” he said.

“We reached out to contractors ensuring that trucks and backhoes are on stand-by. Shelter managers are on stand-by. We also began positioning items in some of the critical shelters. All the agencies are mobilised. Based on where we are, we are feeling satisfied that if it is that we are hit directly or otherwise we are in a state of readiness,” he added.

When asked about flood-prone areas, Solomon pointed to several communities.

“As it relates to flooding, we have to look at areas like Middle Quarters, New Market, Slipe, Parottee, Goshen, and quite a few [other] areas,” he said.

“We have land slippage in the Ginger Hill area (northern St Elizabeth), which the National Works Agency is aware of, and it is also an area that is prone to land slippages,” he added.

He is advising residents to monitor the updates regarding the weather.

“I am advising them to pay attention to the release coming from the Met Office and otherwise and remember that life is more important than anything else, so we have to assess our situation and if it is that we realise that it is beyond our control, we have to evacuate,” he said.

He also pointed to the challenges in reaching residents when they are marooned.

“It is a difficult task to provide rescue and resources to these areas when they become marooned, so I am advising them to relocate to safer areas, because these are areas that always have challenges,” he said.

“Make the necessary preparations. I don’t want them to take this thing for granted. Everybody has a responsibility for their own space, so secure your documents; if you need to look at your roof, now is the time to do so; if you need to get an extra item, stock up your batteries, lighting and so on,” he said.

“It is better for us to be prepared and nothing comes than for us to be hit and we are unprepared,” he added.

SOLOMON… it is better for us to be prepared and nothing comes than for us to be hit and we are unprepared