Assessment Deadline Extended to October 10

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has again extended its deadline for assessing the hurricane damage across the island from the original deadline of September 30 to October 10.
Director of Social Security in the Ministry, Faith Innerarity, told JIS News that the extension of the deadline was necessary as there were still more assessments to be undertaken.
Mrs. Innerarity pointed out that even though the deadline has been extended to the end of this week, “if some persons are still not reached, we [the Ministry] will have to continue the process”.
To date, the assessment team has evaluated over 73 per cent of the number of households affected by the hurricane. Mrs. Innerarity told JIS News that approximately 64,000 assessment forms have been completed and 40,000 processed by the Ministry.
“The [assessment] officers, the staff of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, along with the volunteers have been working every day, beyond the call of duty, to ensure full coverage of persons who were affected by the hurricane,” she noted.
She advised persons who might have missed the assessment process, to contact the Ministry’s parish offices as early as possible and lodge a report.
With regard to the number of persons still in shelters, Mrs. Innerarity said that the figure was now 96. Shelters still in operation include the Portland Cottage Primary School in Clarendon, and the Old Harbour Bay Community Centre in St. Catherine.