Earthquake leaves FID building unusable

Taxpayers will have to splash cash to rehabilitate two buildings used by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, which were damaged by yesterday's massive earthquake that caused severe disruptions across much of the island.

One of the buildings, which is located at Shalimar Avenue, Vineyard Town in Kingston, has been deemed inhabitable by the National Works Agency (NWA).

"There has been sufficient damage to the point that I have spoken to the financial secretary, and it's our recommendation that the building not be used until certain structural support has been put in place," the NWA head E.G. Hunter said yesterday.

The building houses the Financial Investigations Division, an agency which targets money laundering and other financial crimes. Hunter said a team of engineers will be dispatched today to determine what will be required to make the building habitable.

At the same time, Hunter said that the finance ministry has been advised not to use a particular stairway until remedial work is done on it. The stairway, which serves as the bridge between two buildings, was damaged by the earthquake.

Hunter said that while there were a few landslides, the country did not suffer any damage of "any significance" to its road and bridges.

"Most of our bridge infrastructure is built to modern standards. They have been built to be earthquake resistance and the evidence is that they have stood up reasonably well so far," he said.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness described yesterday's tremor, which was measured at 5.6 on the Richter scale, as "probably the most significant earthquake we have experienced in the last 20 years".

There were no reports of deaths as a result of the quake up to press time yesterday, but scores of persons were rushed to emergency rooms after suffering panic and anxiety attacks, broken bones and bruises. Holness said that while the country suffered damage, they are not considered "significant". He said, though, that the experience has been "very traumatic, especially for our young children who were in school".