FALMOUTH, Trelawny — With help from a number of sources, municipal authorities in Trelawny have found creative ways to keep the business of the parish going as its residents recover from Hurricane Melissa.

The powerful Category 5 weather system, the strongest storm ever recorded as making landfall in Jamaica, left widespread destruction across the parish, including significant damage to the centuries-old courthouse which housed the municipal corporation’s administrative operations.

As a result, some services are now available at unlikely locations. For example, some operations of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation (TMC) will be temporarily relocated to the Falmouth Artisan Village because of extensive damage done to the historic Falmouth Courthouse.

Speaking with journalists on Tuesday, Falmouth’s Mayor C Junior Gager, who is also chairman of the TMC, said the temporary move is essential to maintaining government services as recovery and restoration plans advance.

“We are grateful that a section of the artisan village has been made available to us. We will be able to store the accounts department there, because you know they are the brain. The CEO [Andrew] Harrison, and myself will share office space there, along with our secretaries, so we can keep the business of the people going,” he disclosed.

Plans are now in place to partition the space into functional cubicles, the mayor added.

In the meantime, the municipal corporation has begun making use of two modified shipping containers positioned at the Roads and Works Department, which currently houses the bulk of the TMC’s operations. Gager said the containers, which include lighting, air conditioning and bathroom facilities, were donated by a Kingston-based business operator.

“One container is ready now, and steps were added to make access easier. The other is being used for storage of donated material but once cleared, it will store filing cabinets because our records are critical. Once files are destroyed we don’t know how to get them back,” said Gager.

The Port Authority of Jamaica has also offered support by loaning the municipality a meeting room at the port on a scheduled basis, allowing council meetings and critical gatherings to continue.

Gager added that other solutions are being explored, including a barge outfitted with workspaces and sanitary facilities. He said that following discussions at a recent Emergency Operations Centre meeting, a businessman is working toward bringing in the specialised barge.

“If we get that with the field tents and offices, all our operations could run from there on the grounds of the Roads and Works property. Everybody could be stationed and working in one controlled space,” he noted.

Despite the setbacks Gager said the corporation remains committed to serving the people of Trelawny as recovery efforts continue.

“If anything else turns up, we will let the public know. We are doing everything we can to keep the council functioning and the parish moving forward,” he said.

A section of the Falmouth Artisan Village. (Photo: Horace Hines)

Two retrofitted containers on the grounds of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation’s Roads and Works Department in Falmouth. (Photo: Horace Hines)