St. James Municipal Corporation Strengthens Emergency Evacuation Capacity

The St. James Municipal Corporation is strengthening its emergency evacuation capacity for the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season, through a strategic partnership with Montego Bay Metro, aimed at ensuring the rapid movement of residents during a disaster.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, June 11, Mayor of Montego Bay and Chairman of the St. James Municipal Corporation, Councillor Richard Vernon, said lessons learnt from Hurricane Melissa underscored the need for greater transportation readiness and more resilient communication systems during emergencies.

“We have 14 operational units and 35 drivers ready and are on standby. The Montego Bay Metro have equipped themselves with the Starlink to ensure that they maintain better communication, if we have a complete black out,” he noted, highlighting that communication among the transportation team during Hurricane Melissa proved to be challenging.

Councillor Vernon explained that while emergency responders were able to evacuate several hundred people during the hurricane, situations that emerged in communities such as Catherine Hall and West Green exposed the need for significantly greater evacuation capacity.

“We have to ensure that in a disaster we can move at least 5,000 people in a short period of time,” Councillor Vernon said.

To meet that target, the Mayor indicated that Montego Bay Metro has been advised to prepare its fleet and staff to support large-scale evacuations, while the Corporation continues to identify additional transport providers and drivers to bolster its emergency response capabilities.

He added that discussions are also under way regarding protocols for large employers to suspend operations ahead of major weather events to reduce the need for emergency rescues during active threats.

He explained that emergency responders also received a request during Hurricane Melissa to evacuate approximately 250 workers from a call centre while severe weather conditions were affecting the parish.

“When we operate with these large-scale employment entities during a hurricane or any type of disaster, it is difficult to put the response teams at risk to move persons from point A to point B when the disaster is very active, so instead of putting our people at risk, we would ask for protocols to be established for these businesses to be closed leading up to a pending disaster,” The Mayor noted.

He further urged business operators to establish disaster management and evacuation plans, noting that it is a requirement by the Disaster Risk Management Act.