THE Government is introducing a new disaster preparedness component to this year’s Youth Summer Employment Programme (YSEP), with 200 young Jamaicans being employed through to the end of the hurricane season to support municipal disaster response efforts.

The initiative comes after the Government’s response to Hurricane Melissa exposed gaps in community-level disaster coordination, prompting officials to redesign part of the annual employment programme to strengthen preparedness at the municipal level.

The announcement was made Tuesday by Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie, who said the initiative was developed based on lessons learnt from Hurricane Melissa.

While noting that this year’s YSEP will commence in July as scheduled, McKenzie said one aspect of the programme will differ from previous years.

“One of the lessons we learned out of Melissa is that while we were able to provide adequate information well in advance of the hurricane… one of the weaknesses in our response was in terms of distribution and sharing,” he said.

Under the initiative, approximately 10 to 15 YSEP participants will be assigned to each municipal corporation through the Social Development Commission. They will work alongside disaster coordinators from July until December, covering the remainder of the Atlantic hurricane season.

According to McKenzie, the workers will help identify vulnerable residents — including the elderly, people with disabilities and those living alone — so authorities can respond more efficiently during emergencies.

“They will be going into vulnerable communities to look for those persons who are sick and disabled, who are living alone, so in case of an event we know where to find them so that we can go and take them out,” the minister said.

The participants will also assist with assessing roads, identifying alternative routes and shelter options, and carrying out other activities aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness across the island.

McKenzie said while the traditional component of the YSEP will continue to run for one month, the new disaster preparedness initiative will extend participants’ employment until the end of December.

“They are going to be employed right through the hurricane season to lend support in improving our disaster response capabilities,” he said.

McKenzie noted that since its introduction in 2016, the Youth Summer Employment Programme has provided employment opportunities for more than 100,000 young Jamaicans.

The initiative forms part of the Government’s efforts to strengthen local disaster preparedness following Hurricane Melissa, which exposed gaps in community-level response and coordination during recovery operations.