Labour Ministry Asessing Property Damage in Clarendon

Approximately 6,475 cases of damage to houses and property in the parish of Clarendon have been reported to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
Delroy Palmer, Parish Manager for the Ministry, said that assessments were being carried out in 61 communities across the parish and reports of damage or destruction were being verified by his office.
He said that the evaluations were being done by eight teams of about 60 persons, who visited communities in each of the six constituencies in Clarendon. He noted that focus was being given to the worst affected communities, particularly in the southern part of the parish. The process should be completed by Friday, October 8.
“We were hoping to finish by September 30, however, we have been delayed because in some cases, we have not been able to contact all the persons in the communities for one reason or another and so we have some mopping up to do,” he informed JIS News. The damage assessment process commenced on Wednesday, September 15.
On the matter of the shelters, Mr. Palmer noted that two shelters remained opened in Clarendon accommodating 205 persons. A total of 165 persons are located at the Portland Cottage Primary while the remaining 40 persons are at the Bustamante High School.
In addition, he informed that 15 tents were sent to the parish by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management on Monday, September 27 and these will be given to 15 families in Portland Cottage.
“We are making every effort to quickly reduce the number of persons situated at the shelters especially since they are schools, as we want to return the schools to normality,” Mr. Palmer stated.