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The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has embarked on a bold new low-cost strategy to reduce the risk of landslides and the threat to life and property posed to persons living in hillside communities that are so affected. Over the past 20 years, local disasters resulted in cumulative costs of more than US$1 billion. Among the various...

A new Chief Executive Officer is expected to be appointed soon for the National Works Agency (NWA). This was disclosed by Minister of Transport, Works and Housing the Hon. Dr Omar Davies in a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday Feb. 21. He informed that the response from qualified persons for the post, which became vacant in 2011,...

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has been carrying out several monitoring exercises at the Montego Bay, Negril, and Ocho Rios Marine Parks, under the Climate Change Adaptation for Disaster and Risk Reduction Project. These parks comprise ecological structures such as coral reefs, seagrass beds, sandy shores, rocky shores, and mangrove forests. Speaking with JIS, on a tour of...

Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, has informed that Jamaica will undertake a number of projects aimed at building the country’s resilience to the effects of climate change. Speaking at a post Durban climate change press briefing, held on February 16 at the Terra Nova Hotel, in Kingston, Mr. Pickersgill said proposals are being prepared...

Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, has informed that no contract has been awarded for the expansion of the Maggotty water system, to supply potable water to the districts of White Hill and Carisbrook, in St. Elizabeth. “This project was approved for funding in the 2011/12 budget. Although the project was tendered, no contract was...

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Ronald Jackson, is expressing confidence that  smoke at the Riverton City Landfill will be contained within another two days. Speaking at the weekly Jamaica House press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister, today (February  15), he said conditions are “significantly improved and continuing to get better."...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, has informed that emergency personnel at the Riverton City landfill and disposal site, in Kingston, will continue to carry out mitigation measures at the facility. “The stipulated timeline of 72 hours for the fire fighting and smoke containment operations were met. We are currently in the second phase of smoke...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is embarking on a series of workshops in St. Thomas, aimed at developing an effective coastal management action plan for the parish. The workshops, which got underway on January 19, are being held under ODPEM’s ‘Building Disaster Resilient Communities (BDRC) Project’ and involve collaboration with the St. Thomas Parish Council. The...

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Ronald Jackson, says efforts to contain the smoke nuisance at the Riverton City Landfill in St. Andrew, are progressing steadily. “Things have progressed significantly in a positive direction. The nuisance is controlled. The column of smoke that exists, whatever remains is now quite thin and only confined to...

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development has provided $1.5 million to assist with the trucking of water to sections of Eastern Westmoreland that have been experiencing severe shortages due to seasonal drought conditions. Some of the worst affected areas are Leamington, George’s Plain, Three Miles River, Porter’s Mountain, Bird Mountain, Farm Pen, Westland Mountain and Delveland. Mayor of...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) staged a successful earthquake and tsunami evacuation exercise today (February 8) in the fishing community of Old Harbour Bay in St. Catherine. The exercise, which encompassed the campuses of the Old Harbour Primary and High schools (Feb. 8), tested the local warning, mobilisation, and evacuation procedures. Senior Director for Emergency Preparedness...

Minister of Water, Environment, Land and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, said there is an urgent need to increase the coverage of wastewater treatment in the Caribbean. He said current wastewater treatment levels within the region are far below what is needed, pointing out that as much as 85 per cent of wastewater entering the Caribbean Sea is untreated. He...