Just 10 days after Labour Day rehabilitation activities, the Rose Heights Community Centre in St. James reopened on June 4, hosting a multi-agency job fair and document recovery drive that benefited more than 100 residents. Community members turned out in large numbers to explore employment opportunities and access services to replace lost or damaged documents through entities such as the...

The Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth has received paediatric medical equipment valued $3 million from the Rotary Club of St. Andrew North. The donation forms part of the Club’s Hurricane Melissa recovery and healthcare support initiatives. Items handed over include an infant incubator, a phototherapy lamp, and two infusion pumps. These were officially presented to the Southern Regional Health...

St. Elizabeth is taking concrete steps to strengthen disaster preparedness as key stakeholders convened on Wednesday (June 3) at the Junction Guest House for a Recovery Readiness Assessment Framework Workshop. The workshop produced a roadmap and final report to guide future planning, resilience-building, and recovery efforts across the parish known as Jamaica’s ‘breadbasket’. The event was organised by the Ministry...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is putting several emergency measures in place for the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Making his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (June 3), Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, said this is in response to lessons learned from the impact of Hurricane Melissa...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is set to launch a new Emergency Communication Centre, designed to improve response times islandwide through the implementation of an automatic station alerting system. Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, made the announcement during his 2026/27 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (June 3). He indicated that...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has announced the allocation of an additional of $60 million to assist Municipal Corporations with improving emergency shelter accommodations across the island. He made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (June 3). Mr. McKenzie said the allocation will assist...

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development will be rolling out a Priority Parochial Road Programme, valued at $350 million, targeting for repair badly damaged roads that connect communities and lead to critical places like hospitals and schools. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, made the announcement during his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives...