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Cabinet has given approval for the operations of Air Jamaica Limited/Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) to be exempt from Government procurement procedures. Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Hon. Daryl Vaz, made the announcement at Wednesday's (October 6) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House. He said that the exemption covers the transition period, until CAL takes over ownership...

Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding, says that there is a need to wean the national budget off from its dependence on drawdowns from on the Capital Development Fund (CDF) to supplement expenditure. Mr. Golding was responding to questions raised by Member of Parliament for East Central St. Andrew, Dr. Peter Phillips, on declining bauxite reserves at Tuesday's (October 5)...

The Meteorological Service Jamaica has warned that the formation of Subtropical Storm Otto, northeast of the Turks and Cacois Islands, could produce widespread rains in Jamaica on Thursday and Friday (October 7 and 8). National Hurricane Centre (Miami) image of location of Subtropical Storm Otto in Caribbean. In a release issued Wednesday (October 6), the Met Service said: "In keeping...

The Jamaican Diaspora in Toronto, Canada, is in the process of establishing a special fund to assist Jamaica in times of disaster and other emergencies. According to the Consul General in Toronto, George Ramocan, the Committee with responsibility for the Fund is working on strategies to engage the wider Toronto community and to develop a consistent method of giving. "We...

The Meteorological Service has reported that the forecast for the island is an increase in showers and thunderstorms starting late Wednesday October 6, 2010 and continuing through the weekend. This is due to a broad area of Low Pressure over the eastern Caribbean. The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is advising persons living in the following flood-prone...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) says that just over 100 persons are still being housed in four shelters located in Kingston, St. James and St. Catherine. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Director General, ODPEM, Ronald Jackson, informed that all schools, which previously served as emergency shelters have been re-opened, with the exception of the...

Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding says the government is faced with a complex situation as it relates to donor countries responding to Jamaica's needs at this time, under the Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF). Mr. Golding was addressing a press conference on September 28, at Jamaica House, to update the nation on actions being taken by the government...

Some $10 million will be needed by the Jamaica Red Cross (JRC) to finance relief assistance for flood victims, and other persons affected by rains associated with the tropical depression affecting Jamaica over the past three days. The organization has been working closely with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the Ministry of Health and other agencies,...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is reporting that the gauge at PEDRO RIVER is currently at 19 feet and rising (Maximum level 22 feet). The community is currently flooded and as such the ODPEM and the Parish Council with the support of the JDF is in the process of deploying boats to evacuate some 60 persons....

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Works Agency (NWA), Patrick Wong, says the Palisadoes Road Shoreline Project is not simply a road rehabilitation exercise, but a comprehensive programme for protecting Kingston Harbour. Mr. Wong was speaking at a press conference called to discuss the project, at the Ministry of Transport and Works in Kingston, Friday (October 1). The NWA...

St. Ann Parish Disaster Coordinator, Alvin Clarke, has assured Pedro River, Cave Valley and Douglas Castle residents, that the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Parish Disaster Committee are aware of the damage in their communities. He said that ODPEM is putting the necessary response activities in place to assist them, after heavy rains from Tropical...

Several schools in Portmore have been designated as priority shelters by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), in an effort to ensure the protection and safety of children. The shelters are Naggo Head Primary School, Gregory Park Primary School, Kensington Primary School, the Portmore Heart Academy, South Bourough Primary School and Portsmouth Primary School Portmore's Disaster Coordinator,...