Gov’t Preparing Humanitarian and Recovery Strategy

The Government is preparing a comprehensive humanitarian and recovery strategy to be implemented after the expected impact of Tropical Storm Melissa.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, made the disclosure while addressing a special press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister on Friday (October 24).

He said that persons will be required to present proper identification to benefit from assistance.

“There is no break in accountability, and we ask the cooperation of our citizens in providing proper identification so we can track where the benefits go, who received the benefits and for what reason,” he said.

“I hasten to advise everyone, in particular the permanent secretaries, the heads of departments and the accounting officers and the ministers, that there is no suspension of accountability rules. Even in a disaster,  every dollar that is spent has to be accounted for,” he noted.

Ensuring proper accountability is crucial, the Prime Minister emphasised, not just for the Government’s records but also because international donors and philanthropic organisations, which are likely to provide support, require that their contributions be properly managed and tracked.

He encouraged citizens to safeguard their important documents, as they will need them to access benefits.

“Put them in a Ziploc bag, tie them up in a plastic bag, keep them somewhere safe because we’re going to need to be able to identify you in order to facilitate a very quick recovery process,” the Prime Minister said.