Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, is reporting that 84 persons are being accommodated in emergency shelters across St. James. He told JIS News that 50 are tourists who were evacuated from the Zoetry Hotel in Rose Hall. They are being housed at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, which serves as the tourism shelter. Councillor Vernon said the remaining...

In anticipation of the potential impact of Hurricane Beryl, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has taken proactive measures to ensure the safety and security of all citizens. As an integral part of the national emergency response mechanism, the JDF stands ready to respond to any incident that may arise as a result of the storm. In accordance with standard protocols...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says 488 persons are now in shelters across Jamaica. “More shelters are coming on and more persons are going in,” he further advised. The Prime Minister was speaking during a visit to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), located at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Kingston on Wednesday...

A total of 104 persons have been evacuated from flood-prone communities in Old Harbour Bay, St. Catherine, and are now safe in two shelters. Parish Disaster Coordinator for St. Catherine, Yasheka Jathan-Thomas, told JIS News that the St. Catherine Parish Disaster Committee collaborated with the Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC) to move the residents to the shelters, pointing out...

The National Water Commission (NWC) is reporting that it has prepared its systems to ensure continued supply of water during and after the passage of Hurricane Beryl. Acting Corporate Public Relations Manager, Delano Williams, told JIS News that the Commission’s major systems will continue to operate, pointing out that storage capacity has been ramped up. “So anywhere we have a...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is encouraging citizens to stay off the roads as Hurricane Beryl begins to impact the island. “If you don't have to move to a shelter, you don't have to move for an emergency, you should hunker down in place and try to ride out this one,” said Acting Director General, ODPEM,...

Manager, Communication and Customer Services, National Works Agency (NWA), Stephen Shaw, says the agency and its partners remain on high alert and are standing by to safely respond to the effects of Hurricane Beryl. “What we are getting so far are mainly reports of storm surges impacting roads that are on the coastline. We have had reports of a few...