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The Ministry of Agriculture and Lands on (Aug. 28) received the first batch of 50,000 bags of fertilizer, under the $225 million agricultural sector hurricane relief project, for farmers involved in domestic food crop, banana, fruit tree crop and cocoa production. Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Roger Clarke; Ministry officials; representatives of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA); the Jamaica...

The Jamaica Consulate General in Miami has established an account at the HSBC Bank, Florida, for donations to assist in the recovery efforts, in the aftermath of Hurricane Dean, which devastated parts of Jamaica on August 19. Monetary donations can be made to the Hurricane Dean Relief Fund - account #389076767 - at any branch of the HSBC Bank. Donations...

Acting Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Christopher Powell has informed that the agency has successfully completed clearance of the major thoroughfares and towns across the island, following the passage of Hurricane Dean on August 19. He also pointed out that the organization was now focusing on cleaning residential communities. Mr. Powell, who was giving an...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Victor Cummings has informed that an assessment of the damage done to the island's fishing villages by Hurricane Dean, should have been completed on Monday (Aug. 27). He made this announcement while addressing a meeting with the ministers fraternal regarding the distribution of relief supplies, held yesterday at Eden Gardens....

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Ronald Jackson has said that the agency is working to clear relief supplies from international donors through Customs, and to get the items into the hands of the victims of Hurricane Dean. "We are working around the clock with the support of the JDF (Jamaica Defence Force), Ministry...

The Salvation Army has procured food, construction material and other relief items, which will be distributed to the parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Dean. Head of the Salvation Army in Jamaica, Major Ward Matthews, made the announcement at a press briefing held at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management's (ODPEM) Camp Road headquarters on Friday (Aug. 24). He...

The Salvation Army has procured food, construction material and other relief items, which will be distributed to the parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Dean. Head of the Salvation Army in Jamaica, Major Ward Matthews, made the announcement at a press briefing held at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management's (ODPEM) Camp Road headquarters on Friday (Aug. 24). He...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is reporting that a total 38 shelters are currently open across the island, housing some 988 persons. Below is a comprehensive breakdown of the locations of all activated shelters and their populations to date: Click here for more

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has given the assurance that all government relief and reconstruction assistance will be fully transparent, "leaving no room for suspicion." She was speaking this morning at a presentation function of the first batch of hurricane relief cheques to beneficiaries under the Programme For Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) and NIS pensioners. "At this time,...

The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is advising property owners undertaking hurricane repairs to be vigilant and ensure that terms and conditions for work are clearly outlined to contractors before hiring them. In an interview with JIS News, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CAC, Dolsie Allen, said that even in the haste to restore homes to livable conditions, homeowners must...

The police youth club movement, an important and integral part of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Police Community Relations Branch, has helped to mould the life of young people across the island since its inception in 1954. Natasha-Lee Thompson, who joined the club at age 15 at the urging of a police officer, says that the movement has helped her to...

A preliminary estimate of the damage done to the agricultural sector in St. Mary by Hurricane Dean has been put at almost $2 billion by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). A breakdown of the estimate reveals that the greatest damage occurred in the banana industry, with losses amounting to $1.3 billion, followed by pulse production, which sustained a loss...