Vernamfield Development Key To Jamaica’s Resilience Architecture

Chief Executive Officer, National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), Major General (Ret’d) Ambassador Antony Anderson, says development of Vernamfield in Clarendon is a major component of Jamaica’s national resilience architecture.

Ambassador Anderson said that the central Jamaica location has the potential to provide the country with an alternative facility for the movement of essential supplies when the island’s major airports are affected by hurricanes, high sea levels or other disasters.

He was speaking during a Special Interview with Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Chief Executive Officer, Giovanni Dennis, at Vernamfield on Wednesday (September 30).

“Just being here, you can see that it is the beginning of what can be a major resilience project for Jamaica,” he said, noting that Vernamfield has been discussed for more than two decades as a potential centre for air cargo, logistics, flight training and military activities.

Ambassador Anderson said Hurricane Melissa has highlighted the importance of having an airport facility that can remain operational when Jamaica’s major airports, which are located on the coast at sea level, become compromised.

He explained that the development of Vernamfield could simultaneously strengthen disaster preparedness and create opportunities for private-sector investment and other economic activities.

He said the approach reflects the broader mandate of NaRRA, which is to undertake major reconstruction and resilience projects that can provide the foundation for additional development.

“The project that brings resilience is the same project that can provide the foundation for crowding in other activities that essentially build the area but also builds the investment, private-sector investment, into this area,” he said.

The NaRRA CEO emphasised the importance of visiting project sites and engaging communities directly to understand their circumstances before decisions are made. He said NaRRA has been adopting this approach as it examines projects and infrastructure across the country, while also engaging ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that will eventually operate and maintain the facilities.

Ambassador Anderson said the intended impact of projects such as Vernamfield extends beyond the infrastructure itself.

He said that NaRRA’s projects will help to strengthen Jamaica’s capacity to deliver quality infrastructure quickly and efficiently, while creating opportunities for private investment and building national resilience.