Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz, is urging the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to “pull out all stops” to meet the deadlines for the restoration of electricity in communities across the island. Several areas remain without power since the July 3 passage of Hurricane Beryl. The Minister, in a statement in the House of Representatives on...

The St. James Public Health Department has ramped up vector-control activities in the parish, following a spike in the Aedes aegypti Index since June. Speaking at the Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee meeting of the St. James Municipal Corporation, on Thursday (July 18), Deputy Chief Public Health Inspector for St. James, Nadia Burgess, said increased rainfall has heightened...

The Ministry of Education and Youth will be commencing repairs at schools damaged during Hurricane Beryl’s passage in preparation for the start of the 2024/25 academic year in September. “We understand the urgency and state, that it is imperative that we begin restoration efforts immediately, considering we only have approximately six or seven weeks until the reopening of schools,” Portfolio...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the National Water Commission (NWC) has restored water to 90 per cent of its customers whose supply was disrupted during Hurricane Beryl’s passage. Senator Samuda noted that the post-hurricane restoration effort has been particularly challenging for the remaining 10 per cent which,...

The St. James Municipal Corporation has initiated its Disaster Preparedness Rehabilitation Strategy, which focuses on the distribution of welfare items to residents severely impacted by Hurricane Beryl. Parish Coordinator for Disaster Preparedness, Tamoy Sinclair, announced the commencement of the welfare distribution process while addressing the Corporation’s Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee meeting on Thursday (July 18). This was...

Residents in St. James who lost their documents, including IDs, during the passage of Hurricane Beryl are being encouraged to get replacements. Chairman of the Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee of the St. James Municipal Corporation, Councillor Arthur Lynch, made the appeal at the Committee’s meeting on Thursday, July 18. “If the person had a national voter's ID,...

Japan has donated emergency relief supplies to assist in Jamaica’s Hurricane Beryl response. The items, which include 220 large tents, 100 plastic sheets (tarpaulins), 1,000 sleeping pads, and 2,200 polyester tanks, were provided through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Yasuhiro Atsumi, made a symbolic presentation to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign...