More

KINGSTON — Householders in six parishes are slated to benefit from the Backyard Garden and Master Gardener Training Programme, aimed at enhancing household food security, while promoting the consumption of locally produced foods. The programme, which was launched yesterday by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority’s (RADA) Old Hope Road offices...

KINGSTON — Director General, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Ronald Jackson, has stressed the need for changes in development and planning, if Jamaica is to be adequately prepared to contend with and address issues related to climate change. Speaking at ODPEM’s hurricane preparedness month press conference at the agency’s Haining Road, New Kingston head office last week,...

MONTEGO BAY — Schools in St. James are to participate in the Parish Council’s first Disaster Preparedness Performing Arts Competition, which will last from May 3 to 12. The competition, which was launched  on May 2  in  the Council’s  chambers in Montego Bay,  is opened to all infant, primary, preparatory and high schools in the parish,  and will be staged...

KINGSTON — Director General, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Ronald Jackson says the agency is aiming to expand its capacity to be able to provide emergency and relief supplies and resources to more persons seriously affected by severe weather systems, such as tropical storms and hurricanes. Speaking at the agency’s hurricane preparedness month press conference at their...

KINGSTON — With the start of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season just a month away, Jamaicans are being urged to be on guard as forecasts are the six-month period will be very active. The urging has come from Acting Director of the National Meteorological Service (Met Service), Jeffrey Spooner, who addressed the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management’s (ODPEM)...

PORT ANTONIO — Reducing disaster vulnerability in Manchioneal and surrounding areas of Portland was the focus of a community workshop on the Coastal Multi-hazard Mapping and Vulnerability Assessment Project on Thursday April 28. The project, implemented through the cooperation of the World Bank, the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), and the...

KINGSTON — Jamaica's disaster preparedness and emergency management mechanisms are expected to be ready to deal with any eventuality arising during the 2011 Tropical Atlantic Hurricane Season, which begins on June 1. This follows a series of activities which the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has undertaken since last year, aimed at strengthening the capacity of the...

KINGSTON — The Government is identifying public lands for affordable housing developments, particularly in the Corporate Area and St. Catherine. This was disclosed by Water and Housing Minister, Hon. Dr. Chang, who said that the administration was particularly interested in housing solutions for lower income earners. “We have been seeking to identify as much land as we have in the...

KINGSTON — Minister of Water and Housing, Hon Dr. Horace Chang, has reiterated the Government’s commitment to providing affordable opportunities for home ownership, particularly for low income earners. He said the recently re-launched Secondary Mortgage Market (SMM) facility by the Jamaica Mortgage Bank (JMB) formed an important part of this commitment. The objective of the SMM is to provide liquidity...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) will, this fiscal year, continue to train emergency response teams, implement community micro-mitigation projects, and access more data for hazard risk reduction implementation. These activities will be carried out with budgetary support of $32 million, which has been allocated in the 2011/12 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. ...

KINGSTON — Disasters are unpredictable and can occur at any time. As such, it is imperative that preparedness mechanisms be implemented to cushion the impact and damage. Across the globe, discussions are still ongoing about the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that occurred in Japan, causing widespread deaths, injury and property damage. The disaster resulted in many countries re-examining their preparedness...

KINGSTON — The Jamaica Economical Housing Project has received $1.5 billion in the 2011/12 Estimates of Expenditure to upgrade infrastructure (water, sewerage and roads) in the rural communities of St. Ann and St. Elizabeth. Other objectives of the project,  as outlined in the Estimates, now before the House, include: alleviating the deficit of housing solutions in St. Ann, by providing...