AS the nation braces for Tropical Storm Melissa, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie is urging Port Royal residents to comply with evacuation instructions, warning them that failure to do so could put them at risk if the weather system makes landfall.

Speaking at a special media briefing on Wednesday, McKenzie appealed to residents of the historic seaside community as he noted that authorities have faced repeated resistance from them during past weather events.

“I am making a special appeal to the people in Port Royal: If we are impacted by this event, it is going to be important that the community of Port Royal make arrangements, when we provide the requisite transportation for them to be relocated to shelters, that they comply,” said McKenzie.

He added that his ministry will be working closely with Member of Parliament for the area Philip Paulwell, to improve coordination and compliance.

“It is an area that is of great concern to us because we have not been getting the kind of cooperation that is required from the residents of Port Royal whenever there is an event,” McKenzie said.

Despite the concerns about Port Royal, McKenzie reassured Jamaicans that the country is ready to respond to any emergency caused by the storm.

He said extensive preparations have been made over the past two weeks.

“I again want to reassure the country of Jamaica’s readiness to face up to this challenge that is imminent. The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), along with municipal corporations, have been meeting extensively… and the country can rest assured of our capabilities in terms of responding,” said McKenzie.

He also revealed that all 881 emergency shelters across the island have been inspected and are ready for activation if needed, with shelter managers, supervisors, and volunteers already on standby.

McKenzie also reported that relief supplies have been prepositioned in various locations and emergency teams have been stationed in flood-prone areas such as Rocky Point in Clarendon, Taylor Land in East Kingston, Duhaney Park, and the McGregor and Burger gullies in the Corporate Area, where flooding has been a recurring problem.

“Presently, we are undertaking operations in that section of East Kingston [Burger Gully] by installing over 1,000 sandbags based on the inspection that was undertaken by ODPEM, along with Minister [with responsibility for works Robert] Morgan’s team and the other agencies,” he said.

McKenzie urged Jamaicans to stay alert and follow official bulletins as the storm approaches, and issued a reminder to people who may need to seek shelter.

“I am going to urge people if and when the shelters are activated, to ensure that you only take the basic things to the shelters, which would be your medication and some essentials. But the shelters are not going to be able to accommodate certain things that we have seen taking place at the shelters,” he advised.

McKenzie also addressed questions about garbage collection amid concerns that uncollected waste could worsen flooding.

He acknowledged the challenges facing the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) but said special operations are underway across the island.

“The solid waste authorities, over the last week and a half, have been working extensively. Especially over the last couple of days, they have been doing extra hours. Even some communities working 24 hours a day, around the clock. As I speak, there is a special operation that is being undertaken islandwide. There are some specific areas that have been identified for attention,” he said.

However, McKenzie noted that heavy rains and poor road conditions at landfills have made the process “tedious”.

In the meantime, acting director general of ODPEM Richard Thompson said the agency has been monitoring the storm since October 18 and has activated both parish and national disaster mechanisms.

“We have placed parish disaster coordinators on standby from very early, from over the weekend,” Thompson said. “A critical part of our activation process is to ensure that there is adequate disaster communication in times of an emergency.”

He pointed out that Jamaica’s disaster communication network — developed with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) — is being tested to ensure all emergency response groups are connected.

Thompson told the media briefing that ODPEM has carried out damage assessment and emergency operations training across parishes, ensuring that all state and non-state actors are aligned for quick response and recovery.

He said that humanitarian committees, chaired by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, are collaborating with organisations such as Food for the Poor, the Jamaica Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and World Central Kitchen, to supply food and comfort items to shelters.

Thompson added that to improve reliability during outages, emergency shelters are being equipped with solar lanterns and portable generators to maintain communication and basic lighting if power is lost.

MCKENZIE… it is an area that is of great concern to us because we have not been getting the kind of cooperation that is required from the residents of Port Royal (Photo: Joseph Wellington)