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This year's Youth Month, to be celebrated in November under the theme: 'Jamaican Youth.Shaping the World', will be packed with activities designed specifically for young people. Ohene Blake, Director of the National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD), said Youth Month 2005 would focus on the positive contribution young people were making in Arts and Culture, Sports, Academics, Leadership and Technology....

Several activities have been planned to observe Family Planning Week, which gets underway on Sunday, October 23. The National Family Planning Board (NFPB), having scaled down operations in 2002, will this year see the planning and organisation for the week undertaken by the Outreach Department under the theme - 'Men: Partners in Reproductive Health.' Dianne Thomas, Communications Officer/Writer at the...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is reporting that the water levels are rising in the community of New River in St. Elizabeth. According to the St. Elizabeth Parish Disaster Coordinator, eight houses have been flooded and four families have evacuated to friends and relatives. The St. Elizabeth Parish Disaster Committee will however continue to monitor the...

President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Michael de la Bastide has said that the CCJ was the institutional centrepiece of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), and was therefore crucial to the success and survival of the free trade area. Defining the primary function of the CCJ, he said that, "the original jurisdiction of the Court,...

Head of the Weather Branch of the National Meteorological Service, Evan Thompson has said that while the level of rainfall being experienced was more than was normal, these levels were not unprecedented. "On average we have been seeing 150 per cent of what is normal for an entire month experienced in only six days," Mr. Thompson told JIS News. However...

As Jamaica recuperates from the heavy rains associated with Hurricane Wilma, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is continuing to carry out its relief efforts islandwide. Speaking at an emergency meeting of the Disaster Preparedness Committee last week, Director General of the ODPEM, Dr. Barbara Carby said foam pads, blankets, and utensils have been sent to the...

The involvement of citizens in collaboration with local authorities in times of disaster play a significant role in disaster management and more effective relief efforts. Mayor of Portmore, Councillor George Lee expressed this view in an interview with JIS News. The Mayor said a community's involvement in disaster preparedness and alleviation exercises was critical and makes the job of Local...

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has begun assessing damage caused to the country's agricultural sector by torrential rains associated with Hurricane Wilma. The more than five days of heavy showers has caused severe flooding in many farming communities. Deputy Executive Director of RADA, Thomas Burton told JIS News that each parish had a database of farmers and their activities...

The latest statistics from the National Works Agency (NWA) reveal that 117 roads were reported blocked up to October 19, while some 32 were partially cleared to allow single lane access. Another 35 roads were reported flooded. Speaking at a JIS 'Think Tank' on October 19, Chief Executive Officer of the NWA, Ivan Anderson said that the agency was working...

As the Jamaica Fire Brigade prepares for its annual Fire Safety Awareness Week (October 23 to October 29), several activities have been planned by the Portland Division to observe the occasion. George Brown, District Officer for the Portland division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, told JIS News that the main objectives of the week were to highlight the threat of...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Land and Environment, Donovan Stanberry said today (October 21), that the Ministry now had the necessary funds to begin working on implementing more effective disaster mitigation strategies. The Permanent Secretary pointed out that with the available funding, a sustainable environmental assessment policy as well as hazard mitigation measures, including a hazard mitigation policy and...

GraceKennedy and Western Union have pledged over US$200,000 to continue their support of Jamaica's educational system through the IPLEDGE programme. IPLEDGE is an acronym for 'I Promise to Lend Encouragement to Develop Growth in Education' and it seeks to provide English textbooks to over 300,000 grades 4 to 6 students in primary schools for the 2005/06 school year. The programme...