KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition Spokesperson on Local Government, Natalie Neita Garvey, says the Government and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) are being derelict in their duty by failing to carry out necessary improvements to emergency shelters ahead of the upcoming hurricane season.

In a statement on Wednesday, Neita Garvey said an audit of the state of emergency shelters was recently completed, but the Government and ODPEM have failed to act on the recommendations. These include the installation of ramps, showers and water tanks.

The Opposition spokesperson further said that instead of proceeding with the required work, the Government is asking churches and community centres to undertake the improvements.

She stressed that this is a government responsibility and cannot be passed on to the owners of these facilities.

Neita Garvey said the experiences following Hurricanes Beryl and Melissa should be enough to inform the Government of its duty to ensure that shelters meet basic operating standards.

“In light of the fact that the Atlantic Hurricane Season is only a month away, the Government must act now and stop passing the buck,” she said.

Emphasising that she will be relentlessly pursuing the issue, the Member of Parliament noted that further suffering after a disaster is preventable.

She called on the prime minister, who has portfolio responsibility for disaster management, to instruct ODPEM to urgently embark on the shelter improvement programme.