ODPEM is On Top of Its Game – Minister Mckenzie

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, is commending the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) for its response to Monday’s (Oct.30) 5.6-magnitude earthquake.

Speaking on Tuesday (Oct.31) in the House of Representatives, the Minister said that Jamaica’s rapid response mechanism, which was developed to deal with disasters, was in operation within 30 minutes of the incident.

“This rivals the best international practice for immediate disaster assessment and emergency response. This event has served as an important test of our response capabilities and it was proven, Mr. Speaker, that the system works and that the ODPEM is on top of its game,” he said.

Furthermore, he noted that less than 40 minutes after the event, Chairman of the National Disaster Risk Management Committee, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, gave an update to the country.

“Mr. Speaker, the systems were under pressure, so it took us time to gather vital information and the information that was provided to the country was accurate,” he said.

He noted that other members of the disaster risk management council, such as the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) as well as the municipal corporations, were also quick to respond.

The Minister said that the capacity of the ODPEM has been strengthened, with among other things, the implementation of an early warning system for flood alerts in Old Harbour, St. Catherine and Port Maria, St. Mary, with Old Harbour now certified as tsunami-ready.

The certification for Port Maria is almost complete.

Minister McKenzie is imploring citizens to rely on information coming out of the “established arm of Government” which is the ODPEM.

He assured citizens of the Government’s commitment “to be transparent and to allow the country at all times to know the facts when it comes on to national events.”

Monday’s earthquake was the strongest the country has experienced in about 30 years.

No lives were lost.