100 Persons Still in Shelters

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) says that just over 100 persons are still being housed in four shelters located in Kingston, St. James and St. Catherine.
Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Director General, ODPEM, Ronald Jackson, informed that all schools, which previously served as emergency shelters have been re-opened, with the exception of the Sandy Park Basic School in Kingston.
Mr. Jackson said that efforts are being made to identify alternative accommodation for persons being housed at the school, as some have lost their houses or reside in precarious locations in Sandy Park.
“There are meetings at the community level with the school administration and the church to try and address that need within the community. Beyond that they would have to be factored into the larger plans for all the persons, who would have been displaced or lost housing totally due to the event,” he said.
In the meantime, he noted that persons in the remaining three shelters in St. James and St. Catherine should be able to return home once flood waters have receded in their communities.