Very Few in Western Shelters

The number of persons in shelters across western Jamaica is decreasing, as most of them are returning home, following the passage  of Hurricane Sandy.

Checks with Disaster Preparedness Co-ordinators in the parishes of

St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St. James and Trelawny have revealed that at mid-day today (October 25), the number of persons in shelters has dropped from 295 to just 14.

JIS News was informed  that most of the persons going into shelters did so as a precautionary measure. The parish of St. Elizabeth had five  persons in shelters  all of whom were still occupying those facilities; while Trelawny had 28, with nine remaining today.

Westmoreland  had 88 persons occupying shelters, Hanover  158 and St. James 16, all of whom have returned  home.

The Disaster Co-ordinators in all five parishes reported minor infrastructural damage.  In Trelawny there were reports of two land slippages, with vehicular traffic reduced to single  lane in both areas, one on the Lowe River main road and the other on the Joe Hut main road.

Motorists are being advised to proceed with caution on those roadways, and to follow the instructions of flagmen                                                      

In St. Elizabeth,  there are reports of challenges in  navigating  several  roadways,  because of several downed trees and other debris. The main problem experienced in Hanover was downed power lines.

In St. James, Mayor of Montego Bay, Glendon Harris, has urged  motorists to approach the Spring Mount and Tangle River roads with caution.