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The Portmore Municipality has embarked on a major clean-up operation, following the passage of Hurricane Ivan. Mayor of Portmore, George Lee told JIS News that the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) began the exercise yesterday (September 16). He also said that the issue of garbage collection was discussed by the Council at a special meeting on September 16, adding...

Jamaica's Ambassador to the United States, Professor Gordon Shirley, has urged Jamaicans in the Tri State Area to support the country's rebuilding and recovery effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. He was speaking at a public forum held at the Jamaican Consulate in New York to update nationals in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut about the reconstruction effort...

Several Jamaican-based charitable organizations in South Florida have teamed up with the Jamaica Consulate in Miami, to enable the effective planning of hurricane relief for Jamaica, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan, which devastated parts of the island last weekend. At a town hall forum convened by Jamaica's Consul General to the Southeast USA, Ricardo Allicock on September 15 in...

Member of Parliament for Western St. Thomas, James Roberston, has said that about 10,000 homes in western St. Thomas were lost or damaged during the passage of Hurricane Ivan. Mr. Robertson, who spoke to JIS News recently, informed that about 1,000 homes were lost to land slippage, while 8,000 others suffered extensive and partial damage. He noted that persons who...

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has stated that in the aftermath of hurricane Ivan the Ministry of Education would have to decide how to address the damage to secondary educational institutions that provide housing accommodation to students. Mr. Patterson made the comment while on a tour of some of the worst affected areas in St. Elizabeth on Thursday (Sept. 16), during...

As the recovery process gathers momentum in Portland, following the passage of Hurricane Ivan last week, the Parish Council has estimated that it will cost in excess of $14 million to rehabilitate minor roads in the parish. This figure was put forward by Technical Officers of the Council earlier this week. Several of the roads have been made impassable as...

The Ministry of Local Government, Community Development and Sport has instituted a Task Force on Disaster Management and Assessment, which will be charged with implementing and monitoring the hurricane relief effort in parishes and communities islandwide. Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced the formation of the body at a meeting held at her Hagley Park Road office in Kingston on Wednesday...

The Office of National Reconstruction (ONR) has established a Jamaica Hurricane Reconstruction Fund and members of the public wishing to make contributions can do so at the major banking institutions across the island. The institutions and account numbers are as follows:National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited A/C 30-1014775Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica Limited A/C 90-5990First Caribbean International Bank A/C 1001189009 RBTT...

The terms of reference for the Office of National Reconstruction (ONR), recently established to head the recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Ivan, have been expanded. Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, making the announcement at a press briefing at Jamaica House in Kingston today (September 17), said the ONR was now being asked "to facilitate the on-going programme of disaster...

The Ministry of Industry and Tourism will kick off a major marketing thrust within the next few weeks, to assure tour operators of the readiness of the industry to resume business. Speaking with journalists in Negril on Wednesday (Sept.15) following a tour of properties in the resort town, Minister Aloun N'dombet Assamba, informed that already, properties in Kingston, Montego Bay,...

Most of the island's main roads have been cleared of blockages associated with Hurricane Ivan and Jamaicans can now travel around the island, from Negril to Morant Point, with little difficulty, Vando Palmer, Communications and Customer Relations Manager at the National Works Agency (NWA) has said. He told JIS News that as at Thursday afternoon (Sept. 16) the NWA's Emergency...

The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) is appealing to Jamaicans to donate blood at a "massive" drive on September 21, at the head office of Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB), located at 6 Haughton Terrace in Kingston. This drive will be held between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and the goal is to collect over 100 units of blood. Carol...