Gov’t Making Post-Hurricane Relief Assistance Provisions for the Indigent

The Government is taking steps to ensure the provision of post-Hurricane Beryl relief assistance for the indigent.

This is in keeping with the Administration’s thrust to ensure that provisions are made within the resources at its disposal to respond to the needs of as many citizens as possible who were impacted during the severe weather system’s passage on July 3.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says as part of the recovery efforts, persons who are registered as indigent with the Poor Relief Department will be assessed under the Ministry’s Indigent Housing Programme.

The programme, spearheaded by each Municipality’s Poor Relief Department, offers housing solutions to the registered poor.

Mr. McKenzie, who spoke with JIS News during the recent Hurricane Roof Strap Expo at JAG Myers Park in Black River, St. Elizabeth, indicated that “once those [indigent] persons qualify [after] the assessment is done, we will make provisions to assist those persons”.

“But a proper assessment will need to be done to determine whether or not it is a legitimate case. So, the Government is making provisions within the resources that are available to ensure that we respond to the needs of as many Jamaicans as we can. We might not be able to deal with everybody right away but it is the intention of the Government, in this restoration period, to ensure that as many Jamaicans [as is possible] benefit,” he assured.

Minister McKenzie also provided an update on the extent of the Government’s relief assistance and interventions, to date.

“So far, over 12,000 care packages have been given across the country. We have [also] increased the assessment teams on the ground… 500 Youth Summer Employment Programme (YSEP) workers have been [mobilised, with] 200 [being deployed] to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and 300 to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM),” he outlined.

Mr. McKenzie reiterated that the Government is working diligently to restore water by utilising standby generators to power pumping stations that are without electricity.

“The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) has been encouraged to redouble their efforts, [while] the Government has assisted in bringing in persons from overseas to assist in the restoration process,” the Minister stated.

Meanwhile, Minister McKenzie said he is “pleased, so far, with what is taking place”.

While emphasising that “a lot more can be done”, he assured that “we are working to achieve those objectives”.

For his part, ODPEM Acting Director General, Richard Thompson, told JIS News that Jamaica’s recovery efforts have received significant support from international donors.

“So, we have to say thank you to our international partners who have come onboard and have supported the process. The committee that is in place that is guided by [Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Information, Skills and Digital Transformation] Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, [is] doing a lot of work to ensure that we manage the relief that is coming into the country, to ensure that there is total control and that we can account for everything that comes in and we can account for the distribution,” he stated.

The Expo, which was staged by the Ministry of Local Government in collaboration with ODPEM, sought to promote the use of hurricane straps in roof construction.