Rayon Dyer, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Yvonne Morrison, disaster preparedness coordinator for St. Elizabeth, says the parish is 75 per cent ready in case of eventualities during the 2007 hurricane season, which started on June 1. Some of the facilities and persons in place include emergency shelters, shelter managers, as well as key support agencies in the parish, she dicloses.

But, Morrison says her office is ready as it relates to the coordination of preparedness, noting that of the 101 emergency shelters in the parish, 50 per cent of them had been reviewed and/or ready to house residents should the need arise.

"Right now as I speak to you, I am out in the field completing the reviewing of all the emergency shelters, and by the end of the day, all should be in place," Morrison tells The Sunday Gleaner. " We have received report from some of the support agencies in the parish and they are ready in terms of man power, which is a major aspect of our emergency response services."

The disaster coordinator also stresses that a great deal of the parish is prone to flooding and residents should evacuate when-ever they are advised to do so. Some flood-prone areas in the parish are Black River, Slipe, Porrattee, Vineyard, Luana, Holland, Bigwoods, Little Park, Crawford, as well as sections of Brompton, Arlington and Fullers-wood.

Prior to the 2007 hurricane season, Morrison had conducted inspections on a number of emergency shelters, in St. Elizabeth, along with the support of the fire department and some of the other emergency support agencies.

Inspections

At a recent meeting of the St. Elizabeth Parish Council, Morrison said that her office along with members of the Fire Brigade visited the emergency shelters across theparish and carried out the necessary inspections.

"The Health Department carried out their own inspection on a monthly basis of the kitchen facilities and sanitary conveniences at these shelters, as well as for their general cleanliness. I am happy to report that the shelter managers remain in place and the condition of the emergency shelters were in good order," Morrison reported.

The disaster coordinator ex-plained to the meeting that emergency shelters, such as Fullerswood All-Age, Geneva Primary and Bull Savannah Primary schools were in need of urgent repairs before the start of the hurricane season.

Morrison also noted that the Bigwoods Primary School could not be used as a shelter during the hurricane season as a large section of the community has always flooded and the residents suffer. She recommended, however, that th shelters be Newell High and Mountainside Primary schools.

The St. Elizabeth disaster coordinator can be contacted at 634-0768 or 846-4959.

Emergency shelters in good condition

Middle Quarters All-Age

Crawford Primary

Brompton Primary

Black River Primary

Parrottee Primary

Giddy Hall All-Age

Holland Primary

Sandy Bank Primary

Happy Grove All-Age

Fyffes Pen Primary

Pondside Primary