News
Earthquake monument a timely reminder
Kingston, Jamaica, January 30, 2017 – The 1907 Earthquake Monument is among the starkest reminders of one of the most fateful days in Jamaica’s history. The towering structure sits on land at Bumper Hall in Greenwich Town, St. Andrew, where 501 unidentified victims of the quake, which occurred 110 years ago on January 14, were interred.
History recounts that they were among the over 1,000 persons who perished during the 6.5 magnitude earthquake at approximately 3:30 p.m. which, for 36 seconds, rocked the foundation of the growing Kingston metropolis. “Screams split the air. Within 10 to 20 seconds, a town of 446,000 had been rendered immobile,” one report recounts. Its devastating impact was superseded only by the 1692 earthquake which sank a significant portion of Port Royal, resulting in the survivors of that devastation resettling on the adjacent area of land across the harbour which is now Kingston.
The 1907 earthquake’s destruction was compounded by a fire which broke out, limiting rescue efforts by first responders searching for survivors and bodies amongst the rubble to which numerous buildings had been reduced. The fire, according to historians, swept an area bounded to the east by Mark Lane; north by South Parade; west along Orange Street; and south by the Caribbean Sea. Persons who were trapped by the rubble or otherwise unable to escape the flames perished. This, as the city was rendered helpless consequent on the destruction of the Jamaica Fire Brigade’s equipment and infrastructure, and broken water mains.
The next day, after the dust had settled and the smoke dissipated, over 1,000 persons lay dead either amidst the rubble or at the public hospital where numerous victims succumbed to injuries after being admitted. Half of the victims were found burnt and charred along the principal streets of the city, which was plunged into semi-darkness, with the overall damage estimated at £2 million (approximately $316 million). Survivors, whose homes or businesses were destroyed, sought refuge in parks or on the adjoining lawns of wrecked houses.
Among the victims were: Deputy Chairman of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company of London and Member of Parliament, Sir James Ferguson; importer and plantation owner, Edgar deCordova; Head of the West India Regiment Royal Army, who was only identified as Lieutenant R.R.; and Cuban Consul General, J. Perez. Others included: seven European and 13 native West India Regiment Army Non-Commissioned Officers and their families; 90 children reportedly killed when the school building they were in collapsed; 120 Cuban employees of the Machado Cigar Factory; 35 employees of the local tourist bureau; and 10 Americans who were buried in unmarked graves.
Among the buildings either severely damaged or destroyed were: the Supreme Court; Nova Scotia Bank; Congregational Churches; the Myrtle Bank Hotel; the City Council’s office; the Jamaica Club; Hope College; the railway terminus; all newspaper offices; and the cable company’s office.
Following the earthquake, a special committee was established to spearhead the monument’s erection at Bumper Hall. Among its members were representatives of The Gleaner Company, which reported extensively on the devastation. Research conducted by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) shows that the structure was built using reinforced concrete.
Speaking at a recent 110th anniversary commemorative ceremony organised by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) at Bumper Hall, Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange, who has portfolio responsibility for the JNHT, said the agency was asked to analyse and assess various aspects of the monument in 2015. “Excavations carried out around the monument confirmed that the most significant aspect…was actually buried. A section of the wall surrounding the burial chamber of the approximately 500 unknown victims was discerned by the JNHT team in March 2015, and its presence was confirmed in an article of the Daily Gleaner of Thursday, June 3, 1909,” she informed. Ms. Grange further advised that the structure, which was restored, is located in the centre of the two burial trenches extending north and south.
Opposition Leader and Member of Parliament for South West St. Andrew, where the monument is located, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, who also spoke at the ceremony, hailed the community support mobilised in the restoration effort. “The people of Greenwich Town and residents of Little Eighth Street in particular have been the guardians of this national heritage site for the past 110 years. They are, therefore, deserving of commendation as we pay respect to those whose remains lay here,” she said.
Mrs. Simpson Miller also expressed gratitude for the input of several entities in the exercise. They include: the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund; Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo). “We also thank other agencies such as the Social Development Commission (SDC), Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF); Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT); Urban Development Corporation (UDC); and National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA),” she said. Mrs. Simpson Miller also praised the ODPEM for continuing to highlight the importance of earthquake awareness.
While earthquake awareness is observed annually in January, ODPEM has, this year, embarked on a three-month campaign, from January to March, under the theme: ‘Drop. Cover. Hold…Earthquake Readiness is within Your Control’.
ODPEM’s Director General, Major Clive Davis, who also spoke at the ceremony, said that for the duration of the campaign, “we will endeavour to bring information to the public, to sensitise and remind the populace of the earthquake hazards and how to manage them.”
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, April 19, 2024 – In an attempt to move to 24-hour-a-day operations Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) is steadily recruiting Air Traffic Controllers to work at the Providenciales/Howard Hamilton International Airport, according to Godfrey Smith, TCIAA CEO, reporting to the Appropriations Committee.
Speaking on April 8th Smith said a cabinet paper would be sent soon requesting six more Air Traffic Controllers to make round the clock operation at the Provo International possible and to open the airport in Grand Turk till 12 a.m.
Currently, 17 posts are filled and seven are vacant.
Smith was candid with his responses to recent industrial action from ATCs which led to resignations and firings.
“What we have to do is find systems to mitigate such actions and that has to start with filling these jobs, putting people in that want to
work and doing right by people – and we always try to do right by our staff. Persons may not think that we are but we always do – we ain’t pick no fight,” he said in the meetings held at the NJS Francis building ahead of the National Budget Communication.
Smith indicated that recruitment was an issue across the board, ‘we need to find ways to recruit a little bit better’ he told the committee. Also in need of a push was capital spending or projects according to the CEO, who said the agency had ‘not been very good’ at meeting that mark but insisted they had recognized the issue and could do better.
A very important key performance indicator drawn up by the TCIAA is increasing passenger satisfaction at the Howard Hamilton International Airport. For the TCIAA part of this means a 30 percent increase in seating by Q2 of this year.
When queried on if they could even handle this increase the CEO said,
“The fact of the matter is we already have the capacity there. What we need is to make the service a bit better.”
Staff shortages have become such a frustrating issue that the TCIAA is instituting a scholarship program created by Authority Chairman, Selvyn Hawkins
“What the board wants to do is basically allocate $25,000 annually for a scholarship and they’ve approved it already.”
This process would cover tuition and all other costs for one student.
The student would return as a summer intern and other breaks to work at the TCIAA and upon graduation, assume a role at the company.
“We identify a particular skill we need, we go after it and we build capacity that is in a nutshell the nexus of the program,” Smith said.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) is allocated $49 million this financial year; over $20 million goes to salaries.
Company delivers fastest speeds nationwide and boosts service reliability
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS, APRIL 19th, 2024 – More connections, faster speeds and greater support for customers. This is the promise from communications and entertainment provider, Flow TCI, as it embarks on an initiative to provide households with enhanced connections, greater overall reliability and now, for the first time, speeds up to one gigabit person second.
FLOW TCI Country Manager, Joanne Missick shared: “Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We listen to our customers and want to exceed their demands, so we are focused on delivering unmatched value with customer centric products and services that are future proof. Flow subscribers on our Fibre Extreme package can now access up to one gigabyte speeds and subscribers on our Fibre Plus and Fibre Max package, as of April 1st, are also now benefitting from up to 5x more speeds.”
This is third speed boost for Flow customers in the last two years. This comes under the umbrella of the the Company’s recently launched “Working for You” campaign, where technicians are going into the neighborhoods across the island to conduct repairs, decommission copper cables, and increase the brand’s visibility in local communities.
“To date several neighborhoods have been served by technicians and the company will continue to go across the islands to ensure each neighborhood receives personal attention. We recognize that over the past few months some customers have experienced issues with the quality and delivery of our services. This is not what we stand for. Flow remains committed to providing technology and innovation
that enables growth and positively impacts lives”, says, newly appointed Head of Technical Operations, Simeon Thomas.
Thomas adds, “We have been closely monitoring and reviewing every aspect of our network and there is room for improvement across each of the islands. Where we find shortcomings, we are taking concrete actions and assigning our technicians to rapidly make all necessary adjustments and improvements for our customers”.
Flow has made significant investments in expanding and modernizing its infrastructure and delivering a more robust and reliable network paving the way for the country’s digital transformation.
For more information on speed increases visit https://www2.discoverflow.co/turks-and-caicos/price-adjustment-speed-increase on our website.
Thank you for your usual assistance in sharing our stories.
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