NWC on high alert for Hurricane Elsa

The National Water Commission (NWC) says it is now on high alert as Jamaica gets ready to deal with the impact of Hurricane Elsa.

The NWC says a comprehensive disaster preparedness manual has been activated, which takes into consideration several disaster-related issues that are aimed at reducing the risk of damage to the company's systems and to enable the speediest and most effective return to normality if the systems are affected by the disaster. 

The commission says several steps were already taken to meet the prospective challenges of a natural disaster, including fine-tuning certain aspects of the manual.

Despite this, no water system is “hurricane-proof”, and as such water, supply and wastewater systems are extremely vulnerable to hurricanes and extreme weather events, the commission noted. 

The NWC says at the moment, its systems remain fully operational, but this could change based on the nature and impact of the hurricane. 

In the meantime, customers are strongly advised to store water as there could be a lack of regular supply during the impact of the hurricane.

For people with tanks, it is important that they use this opportunity to ensure that their non-return valves are working and will not drain the water back into the network if piped supply is disrupted, the NWC advised.

It should be stressed that full restoration of water systems could be impacted by several factors, including the availability of electricity.

Additionally, the NWC says its work crews may need to clear blocked pathways to access intakes that would be adversely affected by debris, silt and landslides. 

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