ODPEM Stages Sensitisation Meeting With Residents of Old Harbour Bay

Several residents of Old Harbour Bay, St. Catherine, participated in a recent community sensitisation meeting organised by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM). 

The meeting was geared towards informing residents about the ‘Project for the Improvement of Emergency Communication Systems in Jamaica’. This is being implemented by ODPEM and funded through a grant agreement between the governments of Jamaica and Japan. 

The project aims to improve the emergency communication infrastructure in Jamaica by installing wireless communication systems and relevant equipment. 

Project Manager at ODPEM, Lajean Powell-Richards, told JIS News that a critical component of the project is the installation of early warning sirens at 15 sites in three communities across two parishes.  

“Old Harbour Bay is the recipient of four of these siren sites and we wanted to sensitise the residents about the importance of this early warning system and how it can help the community to be better prepared and to respond to any incident, hazard [or] major event that can cause a threat to their livelihood, lives and property,” said Mrs. Powell-Richards. 

She further informed that the sirens have not yet been installed in the community and, as such, getting the buy-in of its members is of utmost importance. 

The Project Manager also noted that “this infrastructure is not new to Old Harbour Bay”, as it is the only community in Jamaica that has an early warning system.  

“So, under this project, we will be enhancing what currently exists by placing sirens at four additional locations across  Old Harbour Bay proper,” she said, adding that they will be strategically placed at locations that will create an alarm, so that the majority of the population can respond in the event of an emergency or threat. 

Mrs. Powell-Richards informed that the system is expected to be fully commissioned by next year. 

She pointed out that several stakeholders participated in the meeting, including the St. Catherine Municipal Corporation, which is a key partner in the project’s implementation.