SPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine:
DISASTER COORDINATOR for the parish of St. Catherine, Patricia Lewis, is reporting a 90 per cent state of readiness for the anticipated active hurricane season, which begins next month.
Ms. Lewis said that all volunteer groups, including the Red Cross, the Lions Club, as well as the state-run disaster management machinery - the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the Fire Brigade and the Social Development Com-mission - are ready.
As part of the parish's preparedness activities, an exposition was held in Old Harbour Bay to sensitise resi-dents on the dos and don'ts during disaster periods.
"We have embarked on a partnership with the Social Development Commission and this has enabled us to conduct more public awareness session, especially with persons most at risk," Ms. Lewis said.
MORE FUNDS TO COME
She told The Gleaner that last year the committee spent more than $3 million on disaster efforts in St. Catherine, and that this year they are projected to get more funds for to assist disaster relief efforts.
Some vulnerable communities have so been especially targeted. Linstead has acquired a container to store goods and food so that if the Bog Walk gorge is cut off, residents will have emergency supplies of food. The flood-prone Old Harbour and the Big Pond areas also have ready access to a boat for the purposes of search and rescue, a donation from ODPEM.
- R.T.
