The Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s warehouses and parish offices are well stocked and pre-positioned for rapid deployment of relief supplies. The central food facility in Kingston has sufficient resources to prepare an additional 10,000 packages, said Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. He was addressing Friday’s (Oct. 24) special press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister...

The Government is acting on the recommendations of the Disaster Risk Management Review Committee to strengthen the island’s emergency response mechanisms, says Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness. “We have done the review and we have started to put measures in place to ensure that should there be another disaster, our response mechanism would be appropriate and strong,”...

The Building a Better Jamaica Fund, established in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, has been hailed by Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, as one of the most extensive and effective post-disaster recovery operations in Jamaica’s modern history.  The initiative, set up by the National Commercial Bank (NCB), and launched on July 8, 2024 at Jamaica House, galvanised...

Head of Operations, Westmoreland Police Division, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kevin Francis, says the division is prepared to respond to any disaster during the Atlantic hurricane season. “The JCF Westmoreland Division has started and has [activated] our hurricane standing orders, and our plans are fully in effect,” he said, while addressing the monthly meeting of the parish’s municipal corporation...

With the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially under way and projected to be highly active, the St. James Municipal Corporation is ramping up disaster preparedness efforts across the parish. During the Corporation’s Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee meeting on Thursday (June 19), Spatial Planner, Ricardo Miller, reported that a sensitisation workshop was conducted with 33 shelter managers on...

Jamaica will benefit from up to US$500,000 in grant support to strengthen disaster resilience and recovery under a new Disaster Risk Reduction Programme for the Caribbean. The initiative involves collaboration among the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP), with the invaluable support of...

The Government has affirmed its commitment to ensuring that systems of accountability continue to work during disasters. Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said that there is an expectation that the Government is at liberty to suspend or ignore rules in the disbursement of public resources. Addressing the National Disaster Risk Management Council Meeting, held on June 4...