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The National Meteorological Office has issued a tropical storm watch for Jamaica, in the wake of the projected passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto over the island this weekend. At a meeting of the National Disaster Response Committee, held yesterday, at the Office of the Prime Minister, the agencies key to the island's disaster mitigation strategies, outlined provisions they have put...

As Tropical Storm Ernesto approaches, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller this afternoon (Friday, August 25) convened a meeting of the National Response Team, at Jamaica House. On its present course the storm could affect the island by late Sunday afternoon (August 27). Following a briefing from the National Meteorological Service, and ODPEM, the Prime Minister has issued...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Derrick Kellier, is urging more needy Jamaicans to register with the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), the government's main social assistance programme. Persons in need can receive health care benefits and needed assistance with schools fees and other financial support through this programme. Speaking yesterday (August 25), at the Cambridge High...

The Ministry of Education and Youth has allocated $15 million to the Inner City Programme for the new academic year, which begins in September. Deputy Chief Education Officer at the Ministry, Jasper Lawrence, told JIS News that the money would be spent to provide in service training for guidance counsellors, teachers and principals and to assist in providing any additional...

The Meteorological Service has advised The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), that the island is currently under a Tropical Storm Warning/ Hurricane Watch. This means that conditions will begin to deteriorate rapidly as Tropical Storm Earnesto begins to move closer towards the island. Persons living in flood prone, low lying and coastal areas are being asked to...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Derrick Kellier, has said that the mutual, social and economic benefits enjoyed by Jamaica and Canada have kept the Farm Work Programme going for the past 40 years. "The programme represents a very strong partnership between Jamaica and Canada. For this partnership to have not only survived, but also blossomed and grown over the...

As the Nation prepares for Tropical Storm Earnesto, the ODPEM is advising the public to be on full alert and ensure that all preparations are completed today. The ODPEM is advising the public to take the following precautions: . See that galvanized sheeting on your roofs, outbuildings and fences are securely fastened. Ensure that you have enough boards, nails, rope...

The ODPEM is reminding all Shelter Managers to immediately report to their Parish Disaster Coordinator. Persons in the following areas are being asked to be on the alert for flooding and landslippages: St. Thomas

My fellow Jamaicans.good evening We await the impact of Tropical Storm Ernesto, which should be on our shores by early Sunday morning. Ernesto continues on a path towards the island. Although Jamaica may be spared a direct hit, hurricane force winds could affect Northern parishes.and the entire country will get heavy rainfall. I call on all Jamaicans to come together,...

President of the newly formed National Parent Teachers' Association of Jamaica (NFTAJ), Sylvester Anderson, is encouraging parents to get more involved in the daily operations of schools. He said that while parents have a duty to ensure that their children attend school, they must also play an integral role in what is happening in the schools, through membership and participation...

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) has forged an alliance with the Postal Corporation of Jamaica (PostCorp), which will enable commuters to purchase smart cards at eight post offices in the corporate area and St. Catherine. The locations are the Central Sorting Office, Cross Roads, Hagley Park, Liguanea, Meadowbridge and Windward Road and the General Post Office in Kingston and...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Lands has engaged in the construction of two Greenhouses for the hydroponic production of strawberries, tomatoes and lettuce, at a cost of $2 million. Hydroponic production refers to the process where plants are fed nutrients by a piping system, and crops are grown without soil, in a medium such as perlite, gravel or coir. Speaking...