PM: Assess and relocate if necessary before hurricane

WESTERN BUREAU:

With the effects of Hurricane Elsa projected to impact Jamaica over the weekend, Prime Minister Andrew Holness is urging Jamaicans to assess the safety of their building sites and, if necessary, to relocate before any storm arrives to cause damage.

Holness sounded the warning on Friday while addressing a ceremony to hand over 40 tablets to students from various primary schools in the Trelawny Southern constituency. The ceremony was held at the Clark’s Town Primary School.

“When hurricanes are threatening, an important thing to do is to make an assessment and listen to the warnings, and it may be a wise thing to pre-emptively move out of those vulnerable and dangerous areas. We have gotten better at managing these natural occurrences by being prepared, so preparation is the ultimate factor,” said Holness.

“How we build, how we follow our building code, and where we choose to build can have a significant impact on reducing the effect of hurricanes. This is especially so for rural communities where we are sometimes building on hillsides that could be vulnerable, or on riverbanks or in river courses,” Holness added.

Holness took the opportunity to remind Jamaicans that they should ensure their homes and properties were secured beforehand, and to assist others in their communities.

“You could start by ensuring that if you have trees near your home, which if they were to fall could create serious damage, you would want to prune some of those limbs. Also, I know our incomes would have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but with whatever little you have, start to put aside things like water, tinned food, and the medication that you may need,” said Holness.