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Some four communities located in the "bread basket" parish of St. Elizabeth have been affected by rising waters as a result of rains associated with Hurricane Wilma. Parish Disaster Coordinator for St. Elizabeth, Yvonne Morrison told JIS News that persons living in communities in which there are large bodies of water should not fish or swim in these areas. "Too...

To commemorate fire awareness week from October 23 to October 29, the Clarendon Fire Department will be conducting a series of lectures and safety checks throughout the parish. District Officer Owen Thomas, Head of Clarendon's Fire Prevention Unit, told JIS News that two teams of officers would be carrying out the work beginning at 9:00 a.m. each day. "We will...

Officer in charge of Fire Prevention at the Manchester Fire Brigade, Livingston Morgan is encouraging all Jamaicans to implement proper fire drills, both at home and at work. "Studies seem to indicate that the loss of life, limb and property can be reduced if persons are aware of the right steps to take once a fire starts, so my advice...

Several Jamaican families who resided in New Orleans up to early September when Hurricane Katrina tore through the Gulf Coast of the United States have temporarily settled in Houston, Texas and are working ardently to rebuild their lives. The group of 29 travelled out of New Orleans the day before the big storm hit, destined for Houston with only the...

The mobile unit of the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) is slated to conduct a series of outreach meetings in Westmoreland and Hanover beginning on Tuesday, October 25. Compliance Field Officer with the ORC, Keith Andrade told JIS News that on Tuesday and Wednesday the team would be at the Hotel Commingle, which is located at 7 Hudson...

The 3rd annual South Manchester sweet potato festival will be held at new Broughton this Friday, October 28, beginning at 10:00 a.m.,br>President of the South Manchester Sweet Potato Growers Association, Dundee Hewitt told JIS News that the event was a very good way of galvanising support from the local farming community. "Our association wants to motivate farmers to produce much...

Disaster Studies experts are calling on government and disaster management agencies to make use of available technology in order to strategically and effectively monitor disaster zones and make life saving decisions before disasters occur. This sentiment emerged at a forum on Strategic Approaches to Disaster Preparedness, which was convened by Minister of Information, Senator Burchell Whiteman at Jamaica House last...

Minister of Health, John Junor, is currently attending an international meeting on the avian flu (bird flu), by Ministers of Health, in Ottawa, Canada. The two-day meeting entitled, 'Global Pandemic Influenza Readiness', got underway today (October 24), and Health Ministers and senior officials from approximately 30 developed and developing countries, together with representatives from international organizations, will discuss their state...

The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC), will host a one-day workshop for persons involved in the trading of goods and services at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston on Thursday, October 27. The workshop will be held under the theme: 'The Implications of the Consumer Protection Act for Businesses'. Chief Executive Officer of the CAC, Dolsie Allen told JIS News that...

There is a buzz of activity behind the walls of some of the island's correctional institutions, as inmates get involved in various farming ventures to better assist their integration back into society. At Tamarind Farm in St. Catherine, low risk prisoners are involved in various types of animal rearing and crop production on several acres of rich farmland. In fact,...

Chief Executive Officer of the National Works Agency (NWA), Ivan Anderson, has said that a short-term budget of $480 million has been allocated to fund a project to protect the road leading to the Norman Manley International Airport. Speaking at a recent JIS 'Think Tank', at its Half-Way-Tree Road offices, Mr. Anderson said that, "right now we are inviting consultants...

Managing Director of the National Housing Trust (NHT), Earl Samuels has said that the organization would be moving with some urgency to tackle the housing needs in the parish of Hanover, particularly in light of new hotel developments now taking place. "Over the next five years, the NHT will be promoting the addition of some 7,500 new solutions to the...