‘Look out for your neighbour’ - Jamaicans urged to lend a hand as hurricane season starts

Head of the Disaster Risk Reduction Centre at The University of the West Indies, Mona, Dr Barbara Carby, is encouraging Jamaicans to take greater responsibility for self and family this hurricane season.

"We must manage our own risk to help the country to manage the collective risk. Look out for your neighbour. There are vulnerable people in your community - lend a helping hand. Go do your research and inform yourselves as to precautionary measures and risk-reduction measures and so on. Take that responsibility and help the country advance its disaster risk management programme," she said.

Meanwhile, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said that all systems are up and running for the 2020 hurricane season, which starts today.

"As the minister with responsibility for disaster preparedness, I want to assure the country that all the resources that will be required to ensure that we can respond in a positive and meaningful way will be provided by the Government. So, the country can rest assured that we are ready to respond to any eventuality that may come following on the heels of the coronavirus," McKenzie said.

Necessary relief supplies

Minister McKenzie said that the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management has procured all the necessary relief supplies.

"They have a storeroom that is well stocked, as they did stocking for COVID-19, and they have done additional stocking to maintain the level of the [supplies] they have in store," he said.

McKenzie also said that safeguarding the welfare of the homeless is a priority for the Government during the hurricane season.

He said that there are about 2,500 individuals living on the nation's streets.

"They are the ones who are vulnerable and are exposed to the elements. Therefore, we are putting the necessary infrastructure in place so that we can take them off the streets and into a shelter until the worst has passed," McKenzie said.