PM Holness confident in Jamaica's readiness to face Tropical Storm Melissa

 

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has assured that his government is in a state of readiness as Tropical Storm Melissa approaches the island. 

 

Dr. Holness gave the assurance on Friday, the first time he had addressed the nation since it was first placed on notice of the storm's potential impact. 

 

The Prime Minister, who is also chairman of the National Disaster Risk Management Council, explained that he has been working behind the scenes to coordinate storm readiness across ministries, agencies and departments, and ensuring that all teams are performing their duties. 

 

"There is a government that is made up of ministers, heads of entities, permanent secretaries, various public officers and administrators and they all must do their jobs. And my job at times is to ensure that they are all well coordinated and that they are all doing what they are supposed to be doing. Yes, so sometimes you are leading from the front and sometimes you are 'quarterbacking' as the Americans would say, but there is never an absence of leadership and I'm certain that you would have seen on display the ministers taking responsibility for their various portfolios as it relates to preparedness," he said at day three of a special press briefing by the Office of the Prime Minister on Friday.

 

The Prime Minister said a national humanitarian strategy will be established to provide relief, but he warned that all resources must be accounted for and due process must be followed. 

 

"For that to work effectively, the beneficiaries, the people who would require support and assistance - must have identification. There is a view that because it is a disaster, all the rules are suspended. I hasten to advise everyone, in particular the permanent secretaries, the heads of departments and the accounting officers and the ministers. There is no suspension of accountability rules, even a disaster and every dollar that is spent has to be accounted for. The same people who are screaming that 'we need it now, we need it now', the same people who will turn around and say, where did you spend that money?" Dr. Holness reasoned.

 

The third special briefing ended with a moment of unity as the Prime Minister and his team locked hands, led in prayer by Dr. Elaine McCarthy Nunes, and sought divine protection ahead of the weather system. 

 

 

Meanwhile, Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Matthew Samuda, said measures are in place to ensure that water is restored within a short period in the event of disruptions. 

 

"We have over 50 generators ready to go and to be deployed so that within 72 hours of a storm, 80% of NWC customers will be able to get back potable water. This is a marked difference from the last time around. We have also rented four mobile generators that will be able to move to particularly impacted communities that may be out of water for some time. Again, we ask that you listen to the official sources and take the necessary guidance as to how to treat your water after a storm. Those notices will come from the Ministry of Health or the National Water Commission and will be amplified through JIS and its varying channels," he advised.

 

Noting that there are unofficial channels with projections and forecasts that do not reflect information from the Met Service, Mr. Samuda cautioned against misinformation and disinformation during the period of wait and preparation. 

 

"We're asking that you pay keen attention to official news sources, being the Office of the Prime Minister's pages, the Prime Minister's pages himself, JIS, Ministry of Water, Environment and of course the Met Service and other ministry's official statements," he urged.