Gov’t looking into mandatory evacuation for Port Royal during disasters

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie is warning Port Royal residents that the Holness administration will be scouring the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) to determine how it can impose a mandatory evacuation order on the community during natural disasters.

McKenzie’s caution came during Wednesday’s press briefing at the command centre of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, where he declared that a time would come when enough is enough.

The minister said resistance to evacuation has relatively declined in some areas that proved difficult in the past but said Port Royal is an anomaly, calling it “a case by itself”.

He said both the Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby and Councillor Lorraine Dobson today spent close to an hour and a half trying to persuade residents to evacuate but only one heeded their call.

He said national resources including the Jamaica Defence Force and Jamaica Fire Brigade were mobilised for the evacuation that was ultimately unsuccessful.

However, he said several persons had left the community, located in the southeastern end of the island, prior to the arrival of Hurricane Beryl, which is now battering sections of the island.

The category 4 storm is currently moving near the island's southern coastline in a largely westerly direction.

McKenzie said Port Royal is an area of concern which he has spoken to Prime Minister Andrew Holness about.

“We will be engaging at a very high level the political directorate because there comes a time when enough is going to be enough,” McKenzie told journalists.

“We will examine what the Act (DRMA) gives us the authority to do and we will consider it and we will take the necessary steps when it becomes necessary,” said McKenzie.

- Kimone Francis

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