Earthquake Drill at Portmore Town Centre Plaza

An earthquake simulation exercise aimed at testing the responsiveness of tenants and users of the Portmore Town Centre Plaza in St. Catherine was held recently (Jan. 15) in observance of Earthquake Awareness week.
The activity began at approximately 1:50 p.m. and involved the simulated search and rescue of nine persons with different injuries from a section of the building that had collapsed and engulfed with smoke.
It was organized by the Portmore Municipal Centre in collaboration with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the St. Catherine Fire Service, the Jamaica Red Cross – Portmore Branch; the St Catherine South Police Division, and the St. Catherine Health Department.
The week is being celebrated under the theme, ‘Earthquakes Have No Season: Do Your Part. Be Earthquake Smart!’
Following the activity a de-briefing was held at the Portmore Municipal Council, Portmore Pines Plaza, where participants pointed out blunders and made recommendations for corrective measures.
Assistant Superintendent, St. Catherine Fire Service Godfery Clement, said that while there were some operational concerns the activity was a success.
“We were happy to be a part of this exercise. We think we all did well. There are areas that we could have done better, but we all did well,” he said, noting that the absence of a passage, from where they had entered, to get to the third floor of the building had hampered firefighters in their rescue operation.
“We spoke to the manager and the fire prevention officer will be having dialogue with her and other persons in that entity to ensure that this is corrected,” he added.
Regional Coordinator at the ODPEM, Sophia Mitchell, told JIS News that the event was organised to test the preparedness of the tenants for an earthquake and other hazards, such as a fire and collapsed structures.
“I think the whole exercise was a testament to the multi-agency partnership that we have in terms of disaster management in Jamaica and this augurs well for the future,” she added.
Ms. Mitchell said that the response by clients at the plaza, on hearing the alarm, was not at a desired level.
“It was when persons saw the smoke and detected, maybe, there was a fire that persons actually responded. In terms of public education for tenants of Plazas, we really do need to improve on this and we will be working with cable companies, working with the media, to see how best we can continue the sensitisation process to ensure that persons will respond accordingly,” Ms. Mitchell said.