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The Government has decided to extend its coverage under the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), to include the effects of flooding and periods of unusual rainfall, following discussions with the World Bank. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, told a press conference at his Ministry in Kingston on Friday November 19 that the extended facility...

The Jamaican Canadian Centre in Toronto came alive on Friday November 12, as hundreds of persons turned out for a concert to raise funds for victims of Tropical Storm Nicole. Torrential rains associated with the weather system, impacted the island from September 26 to 29, claiming 13 lives, and wreaking havoc on the country's road infrastructure, farms, and schools, resulting...

Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Gladstone Hutchinson, has said that Caribbean nations must become more proactive in addressing climate change, given the region's vulnerability to natural disasters. "As planners we can no longer sit by and wait to carry out post assessments of hazards impact. We have to become more proactive, we have to anticipate...

Though some Jamaicans view selection for a National Housing Trust (NHT) home in much the same way they view the lottery, the NHT has assured that it takes a systematic approach to selection of candidates. Senior General Manager for Customer Relations Management at the Trust, Dr. Lanie-Marie Oakley Williams, says selection is done using the Priority Index Entitlement (PIE) system....

Rehabilitation work on the Negril Wastewater Treatment Plant in Westmoreland is scheduled to start in January 2011, with a $278 million contract now in place for the project. Minister of Water and Housing, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, made the announcement on Friday (November 12), at a press conference held at the Office of the Prime Minister's (OPM) western office in...

Minister of Water and Housing, Hon. Horace Chang, says that the Water Resources Authority (WRA) will be investigating the cause of the recurrent flooding of New River, in St. Elizabeth. "We need to investigate if there is any physical problem contributing to the increased frequency and the Water Resources Authority has to take a look at that. We need to...

Packages with relief supplies were distributed to several residents of the flooded districts of Forrest and Pierce's Village in Eastern Hanover, on November 4. The residents have also been warned about playing or swimming in the body of water now covering a great portion of the land area in both districts. The warning was issued during a community meeting at...

The National Housing Trust (NHT) is working to make home ownership more affordable for Jamaica's young professionals. NHT Chairman, Howard Mitchell, said the agency has made some policy adjustments including shortening the time requirement for contributors to begin to receive benefit. "Because, what it usually means is that the longest standing contributor - older people - get houses, but we're...

Water and Housing Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says the Ministry is looking at implementing central wastewater treatment systems in major towns islandwide, where householders and businesses currently resort to the on-site disposal process that incorporates septic tanks and pits. These towns include: Falmouth, Trelawny; Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland; May Pen, Clarendon; and Old Harbour and the western end of Spanish Town,...

The Ministry of Water and Housing wishes to allay the concerns of residents of West Albion about the erection of pit latrines on the West Albion relocation site in St. Thomas. In a recent televised report, concerns were expressed that the erection of the pit latrines would have an impact on the water table in the area. However, the Ministry...

Water and Housing Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says the Ministry has taken steps to address what he has described as "shoddy reinstatement works" on sections of roadways in upper St. Andrew that were dug up by contractors to facilitate the laying of central waste water pipelines. The roads affected are located in the general Barbican/Paddington Terrace area. Speaking with...

Cabinet has approved the award of a contract in the sum of $165.8 million, to Build-Rite Construction Company Limited, for the development of 153 housing solutions at Craigton Hall, St. Thomas, on behalf of the National Housing Trust (NHT). Speaking at a post-Cabinet media briefing at Jamaica House on October 6, Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications, and Special Projects,...