Social Security Ministry Distributes 11,697 Food Packages

As of July 22, 2024, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security has provided 11,697 food packages in response to the needs of households in communities affected by Hurricane Beryl.

In addition, 1,925 tarpaulins have been distributed to assist in protection from the elements for households experiencing roof damage, 989 mattresses have been provided, while 1,911 hygiene kits and 500 cases of water have been distributed.

Also, the parishes of Clarendon and Manchester were provided with additional supplies, including 650 sets of mosquito nets, 12 bags of detergent and three cases of hand sanitisers.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., provided details in a Statement to the House of Representatives, on Tuesday (July 23).

Regarding relief supplies in shelters the Minister said, during the hurricane, 229 shelters were opened across the island, housing 1,907 persons.

“Most persons who were in shelters have returned home, and the Ministry provided food supplies to persons in the shelters, with the support of the Jamaica Red Cross, in particular, in preparing the meals. Currently, we still have two shelters remain open because of the exigencies in those communities,” Mr. Charles Jr. informed.

The shelters still open are Rocky Point in Clarendon, with 44 residents, and Manchioneal in Portland, housing two persons.

Meanwhile, Mr. Charles Jr. said the multi-agency teams have been conducting assessments on the level of damage to houses in the affected communities, using the Jamaica Household Disaster Impact and Needs Assessment (JHDINA) tool.

The JHDINA is the primary assessment tool that is used to assess post-disaster household needs and conditions, and to determine safety net responses following a disaster.

The Minister informed that a total of 8,397 household assessments have been completed as of July 22, 2024. Of this number, 453 houses have been assessed as totally destroyed, 3,221 severely damaged, and 4,723 minor damage.

“The Ministry has completed the assessment process in the majority of parishes. However, the process is ongoing in the southern areas of Clarendon, Manchester and St Elizabeth,” Mr. Charles Jr said.

“While we are currently in the final stages of the household assessment exercise, we recognise that there may be instances where our teams will have to engage with some remaining households. We are calling on our fellow Jamaicans to ensure that those persons are identified,” he added.

To assist in identifying persons who may have been affected by the hurricane and have not yet been assisted or assessed by teams, the Minister said they can reach out to the Ministry, either by contacting parish offices or by calling the Customer Contact Centre at (876)922-8000-13.

Mr. Charles Jr. informed that the highest incidence of damage occurred in St. Elizabeth, with 1,919 households affected, followed by Clarendon, where 1,243 households have been affected.

Clarendon experienced the highest incidence of totally destroyed houses, with 133. Another 617, nearly 50 per cent of the 1,243, are severely damaged.

The remaining 493 experienced minor damage.

St. Elizabeth had the highest incidence of damage, and the highest occurrence of severely damaged houses, 952 of 1,919, while 64 houses were completely destroyed of 1,919 or 3.33 per cent.

The remaining 903 (48.09 per cent) experienced minor damage.