Residents Take Part in Hurricane Preparedness Forum in Savanna-La-Mar

Citizens from Savanna-la-Mar and adjoining communities in Westmoreland, participated in a hurricane preparedness forum yesterday (June 21), at the Methodist Church Hall in the town, where they were educated on key parish disaster initiatives in order to be proactive in their advance planning for the 2007 hurricane season.
The forum, which was the third in a series of seven such meetings to be hosted across the island by the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) and NEM Insurance Limited, in collaboration with national disaster preparedness agencies, was aimed at guiding citizens towards the development of a family disaster plan.
Senior Manager of Insurance Services at JNBS, Pat Austin, said that the series of meetings were developed to ensure that as many citizens as possible received the appropriate information needed to prepare their families for the hurricane season.
“The matter of preparedness is a vital one. Geographically, Jamaica is vulnerable to hurricanes and given the fact that many of you live on the coastline, you must take these matters into consideration when planning for your families and your businesses. As home and business owners, it’s important to protect your property and investments by ensuring that you have adequate insurance coverage and funds to facilitate a smooth recovery,” Miss Austin said.
She noted that the greatest fear during a disaster was the loss of lives, property and cherished possessions, and assured participants that the JNBS was concerned about their affairs and was making sure, through these forums, that the services were provided so all could adequately prepare for such eventualities.
“We want to ensure that you all leave this forum with a wealth of information that will allow you to respond appropriately if we should experience any hurricane during this season,” Miss Austin told the participants.
Representatives from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the MET Office, the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the St. John Ambulance Brigade, made presentations and conducted demonstrations.
Other community meetings are scheduled for Santa Cruz on June 28; Portmore on July 1; Kingston on July 5; and Morant Bay on July 12.