A total of $239 million has been set aside for the Improvement of the Emergency Communication System in Jamaica (IECSJ) project. Details are outlined in the 2020/2021 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is being implemented by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), is to develop a national emergency communication system...

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development will be constructing three new state-of-the-art fire stations in the parishes of St. Thomas, St. Mary and St. James in 2020/21, under the Fire Safety and Protection Programme. In addition, four fire stations in Black River; Falmouth; Ocho Rios and St. Ann’s Bay are to be renovated during the year. Details were...

Approximately 180,000 rural residents will be provided with water solutions in the 2020/21 legislative year. This was disclosed by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, who delivered the Throne Speech at the ceremonial opening of Parliament on Tuesday (February 11) under the theme ‘Towards a Decade of Growth to Anchor Our Peace and Prosperity.’ He said the...

More than 70,000 residents of several communities in deep rural St. James will benefit from the establishment of the Caanan/Adelphi Water Supply System. The $300-million project is being undertaken by the National Water Commission (NWC) through partnership with Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL), with funding from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF). It will include installation of a 300,000-gallon storage tank,...

Registration has commenced for the seventh Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean. The event is slated for July 7 to 10 in Montego Bay, St. James, under the theme ‘Building Resilient Economies in the Americas and the Caribbean’. Registration is scheduled to close a month ahead of the meeting, and interested parties are encouraged...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has announced plans to construct a fire station to serve the hilly communities of southern Trelawny. He said that the process to build the new facility will commence in the 2020/2021 financial year, which gets under way on April 1. The Minister was speaking at the handover of a home...

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development will be ramping up earthquake preparedness activities across the island in collaboration with various stakeholders. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, made the disclosure at the official handover of a home for an indigent resident in Stettin, South Trelawny, on January 29. The move is in the wake of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake...

The St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation, through the Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee, conducted an earthquake simulation exercise at the Sandy Bank Primary School, in Treasure Beach, on Friday (January 31). The exercise, which formed part of the parish’s ongoing 2020 earthquake awareness activities, tested the institution’s responsiveness to the natural disaster, to include the alarm system, the safe...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, handed over two houses to persons in Trelawny on January 29, under the Government’s Indigent Housing Programme. Beverly Barnett of Penn Road in Stettin, and Vernice and Lloyd Dell of Martha Brae were presented with the keys to their houses, at separate ceremonies in each community. Units have been constructed...