St. Thomas Parish Council to Relocate Oct. 1

Come October 1, the St. Thomas Parish Council will be operating from a new office situated at No. 11 Church Street in Morant Bay, the capital.
The office will be on the same premises as the Morant Bay branches of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) and the National Water Commission (NWC).
Secretary/Manager of the St. Thomas Parish Council, Clinton Gordon told JIS News that a decision was taken to relocate the office because of the damage done to the building and the roof of the Roads and Works Division by Hurricane Ivan on September 10. “The repair cost will be horrendous,” he said.
Mr. Gordon added that the old Court House, which is situated above the Parish Office, was also leaking, resulting in water running down into the Council’s conference room.
He pointed out that the other building was being prepared for a “phased removal” of the Council’s offices. The telephone and fax numbers would remain the same, he noted.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gordon said that 77 persons were still sheltering at Dalvey Primary, Easington Primary and Grants Pen Primary Schools, and at the Middleton Baptist Church, Zion Church and Bath Baptist Church.
He pointed out that the Parish Disaster Committee had registered about 1,000 persons who were affected by the hurricane, for relief supplies. So far, he said, 800 persons from 20 districts in the parish have been interviewed by representatives from the committee to verify the claims they had made.
The Secretary/Manager informed JIS News that items, including blankets, plastic sheeting, tarpaulin, shelter kits, bottled water and biscuits have been distributed to the victims.
He explained that efforts were being made by the Council to obtain tents from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) for persons in shelters, so that they could be removed to their homes as soon as possible.
Mr. Gordon said Councillors and representative from various agencies in the parish are expected to meet on Wednesday, September 22 at the Morant Villa Hotel in Morant Bay to discuss the rehabilitation process and to hear about relief efforts in the various districts.