JAMAICA: Westmoreland Getting Ready For Hurricane Season

#MontegoBay, June 1, 2021 – Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Councillor Bertel Moore, says the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation is making all the necessary preparations for the hurricane season, which officially begins on June 1 and ends on November 30.

Speaking in an interview with JIS News, he informed that 95 shelters have been identified, 69 of which have been approved, while others are being put in a state of readiness.

“For instance, there may be schools with decorative blocks, but we know that we can use tarpaulin [to cover over them] so that the rain will not get inside [the building], so we are looking at that,” he said.

He noted that special provisions are being made to ensure that proper social distancing protocols are upheld at the shelters in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Councillor Moore told JIS News that regular meetings are being held with the Westmoreland Health Department and the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) to ensure that they are prepared in the event of a hurricane.   He said that officers from the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation’s road and works unit, as well as the aforementioned agencies, carry out regular inspections in the parish.

Councillor Moore said that in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season, several shelter managers have been trained and certified through the Climate Change Adaptation and Risk Reduction Technology and Strategies to Improve Community Resilience (CARTS) Project.

The CARTS Project aims to enhance disaster risk-reduction capacities in the town of Savanna-la-Mar and the communities of Russia, New Market Oval and Llandilo Phase One. 

This is by implementing floodwater control, coastal protection measures and early warning systems to improve the communities’ disaster risk management capacity; utilising ecosystem-based alternatives to enhance the livelihood options for residents in Russia and New Market Oval; and improving the resilience of physical infrastructure and natural barriers to floods and other hazards.

Meanwhile, a number of persons in the parish have registered to be a part of the National Disaster Risk Management Volunteer Programme (NDRMVP).

“Since last month, two training [sessions] took place and 30 persons were trained, so we know that we have [additional] persons who are well trained to help us if there is to be a hurricane,” Councillor Moore said.

Release: JIS

Contact: Serena Grant