All Communities Accessible Following Hurricane Melissa – ODPEM

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Commander Alvin Gayle, says that emergency personnel now have access to all communities following the widespread impact of Hurricane Melissa.

“No community in Jamaica remains marooned,” he said, noting that “for us, being marooned means that the only way to enter that community is via air.

“There are portions of communities across Jamaica which, because of flooding and/or land slippage, might remain inaccessible within the communities, but no community today remains inaccessible to us.”

Commander Gayle was addressing a virtual town hall on Tuesday (November 25), hosted by the Jamaican Embassy in Washington DC, to give an update on Hurricane Melissa recovery.

He informed that just about 33 thoroughfares across Jamaica remain blocked, and the National Works Agency (NWA) continues its work to clear those areas.

Emergency response teams are continuing efforts to restore infrastructure, deliver relief items and services across the island, nearly four weeks after Hurricane Melissa impacted the island.