ODPEM Clearing Relief Supplies

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Ronald Jackson has said that the agency is working to clear relief supplies from international donors through Customs, and to get the items into the hands of the victims of Hurricane Dean.
“We are working around the clock with the support of the JDF (Jamaica Defence Force), Ministry of Finance and Planning, the Customs people to try and clear (the items) and to get them into the hands of the NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and into the affected communities,” he said.
Mr. Jackson, who was speaking at a press briefing held at ODPEM’s Camp Road offices on Friday (Aug. 24), to update the media on the hurricane relief effort, informed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has pledged supplies and those items are in the country.
“We are currently clearing them and those will be distributed to the affected communities through the Salvation Army, Adventist Disaster Relief Agency (ADRA), Catholic Relief Services and Jamaica Red Cross,” he said, noting that the items will be distributed to primary as well as secondary affected communities.
Supplies from the government of Canada, Brazil, Cuba, Japan and Spain, along with corporate sponsors Virgin Atlantic, Cable and Wireless Jamaica, Red Stripe, D&G Group, Courts Jamaica, Netlink, Jambisco, Pepsi, are among those being cleared, he informed.
“So, we have both international as well as local pledges, most of which have come in the country,” he said, noting that other items were expected in the island on Sunday (Aug. 26).
Hurricane Dean, which swept through Jamaica on August 19 claimed four lives, destroyed thousands of homes and wreaked havoc on the agricultural sector.