St Catherine braces for conditions associated with Hurricane Elsa

The St Catherine Disaster Management and Preparedness Committee said it is fully prepared to mitigate any fallout from Hurricane Elsa.

As Elsa, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2021, moves into the eastern Caribbean, Jamaica has been placed on hurricane warning.

Chairman of the committee, Roogae Kirlew, said the operational centre from which all responses will generate has already been activated.

"We are prepared to respond to the needs of those who could be affected. All 65 emergency shelters in the parish are equipped with emergency supplies and shelter managers are in place," Kirlew told The Gleaner.

He noted that the Old Harbour Bay tsunami siren that was out of service has been repaired, tested and is now operational.

With the possibility of widespread showers and thunderstorms beginning to affect the island by Saturday, and strong winds reaching tropical storm force possibly on Sunday, according to the Met office, Kirlew is appealing to residents to take the necessary precautions before it's too late.

"We are appealing to residents who are living in low lying areas, near river banks, and generally in flood prone areas to move expeditiously and evacuate before conditions deteriorate. Too often some persons wait until the late minute to move. This is a dangerous practice," he warned.

Kirlew disclosed that an emergency meeting with all agencies is planned for noon today to fine-tune their response strategy.

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