Gov’t Mobilises Personnel for Post- Hurricane Damage and Needs Assessments

Nearly 500 persons are currently deployed across the hardest‑hit communities, conducting damage and needs assessments following the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October.

Chief Technical Director (CTD) in the Ministry, Audrey Deer‑Williams, made the disclosure during a Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs virtual sensitisation session on Thursday (December 4).

The session was convened to update Justices of the Peace (JPs) on support opportunities available after a hurricane and their responsibilities in relation to housing matters.

Mrs. Deer‑Williams also informed that, to accelerate the pace of assessments, “we are appealing to various groups to join us in conducting the assessments”.

“So, it’s actually a simple process. We have an electronic form that we use… to conduct assessments in the field… it’s called the Jamaica Household Damage and Impact Needs Assessment (JHDINA). It’s a simple form… [and] we train persons before they go out into the field,” she stated.

“Our purpose here is to ask that, where JPs are available in the parishes, they join us, join our assessment teams as we try to wrap up assessment in as short a time possible,” Mrs. Deer‑Williams added.

For her part, Director of Social Security at the Ministry, Suzette Morris, noted that the training sessions are currently conducted virtually on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

The sessions typically run for between one and one and a half hours, depending on the number of questions posed.

Ms. Morris noted, however, that the Ministry has the capacity to facilitate in‑person training sessions where groups are located in a particular geographic area. She further explained that the damage‑assessment activity involves household visits and interviews.

“So, there is some information that is collected as regards the damage, and you are expected to take photographs. So the damage assessment form can be administered using any Android device,” Ms. Morris said.

“It’s not used on iOS (iPhone devices), the device has to be an android device, and you capture photographs, you capture GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates, and you also collect information on the household members and the particular vulnerabilities of the household. You also capture information on the loss of productive assets,” she added.

Ms. Morris said the damage‑assessment process will determine the benefits to be paid to persons impacted by the hurricane.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Deer‑Williams informed that, for persons without Android devices, the Ministry will provide them.

“We have arranged to have devices that we can share with persons who do not have their own. For submitting the form, you will need internet access, but in the field, you do not require… internet access,” she stated.

Hurricane Melissa damaged 156,000 dwellings across the parishes of St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Manchester, St. James, Trelawny, and Hanover, with 24,000 recorded as total losses.