ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — Authorities in St Elizabeth are working to identify alternative emergency shelters ahead of the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which begins June 1, while also seeking to ensure the parish has adequate safe havens should residents need to be relocated.

Speaking during the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation’s monthly meeting on Thursday, Chairman and Mayor of Black River, Councillor Richard Solomon, noted that a high-level meeting held last week in Kingston with the Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, has prompted authorities to look beyond traditional facilities to safeguard residents.

“Thus far, we would have done over 80 per cent inspection of our shelters and we all know that most of our shelters [are] our schools. More than 50 per cent of what we would have assessed cannot host any shelterees [due to Hurricane Melissa],” Solomon outlined.

Regarding community centres, he noted that more than 60 per cent of those assessed “are no longer in a condition to accommodate shelterees”.

Councillor Solomon stated that, in response to these vulnerabilities, the municipal corporation is relying heavily on new partnerships to bridge the gap.

He advised that the Government recently provided financial support to churches in St Elizabeth to assist with cleaning and restoration efforts.

Solomon noted that the parish may need to rely on these churches as alternative shelters for the upcoming hurricane season.

“The Ministry of Local Government is fully aware of this fact, and that is why we have been having continuous dialogue. The Social Development Commission (SDC) is also fully on board, because they are also part of the assessment. So, we are happy for the partnership with the churches as well as the SDC and the communities because we want them to understand what we are facing at this point in time,” he added.

In the meantime, the mayor pointed out that the parish is also actively seeking a new emergency response command centre.

He explained that the Emergency Operation Centre cannot remain in the capital, Black River, given the devastation the town suffered during Hurricane Melissa, from which it has not yet recovered.

“I’m encouraging all of us to help while we are looking for the most suitable place because what we don’t want this time around is to be rescued and not to be responding. So we need to have a command centre where we can give the necessary directives and be in a position to respond, if necessary,” Solomon underscored.

— JIS