Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie
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Desmond McKenzie
By Nakinskie Robinson
Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie says thousands of families have received care packages as the government works to provide support for those affected by Hurricane Beryl.
He says the Ministry and its supporting agencies, including the National Disaster Committee, will be intensifying relief efforts throughout the week.
"Close to 19,000 families have already received packages and we're going to be stepping up that, and based on what has been done since Sunday, coming into this week, we will see a significant improvement in those numbers," Mr. McKenzie disclosed.
The NDC remains activated and is carrying out assessments to determine how the government will proceed with providing among other recovery plans.
Minister Mckenzie said international support has also been provided.
"Overseas persons are calling. Over the weekend, a number of airplanes came in delivering supplies and things, so yes, we're active and we're going to be active for a little while until we can move to a different level," he noted.
On Tuesday morning, the United States Naval Ships Burlington delivered additional emergency supplies to assist with the government's recovery under the Continuing Promise 2024 mission.
Continuing Promise 2024 is the fourteenth iteration of the mission, which visits the Caribbean, Central and South America, since 2007 to foster goodwill and partnerships.
Some 20 mission personnel will work alongside partner medical professionals to provide direct patient care and technical expertise in community clinics to improve medical readiness and national response to public health disasters and humanitarian crises.
Continuing Promise 2024 is also partnering with several non-federal entities to provide training and supplies while in Jamaica, including Food for the Poor, which marks the first foreign military assistance for the island since Hurricane Beryl's impact on July 3.
The mission will feature joint disaster preparedness training exercises and exchanges between US Navy personnel and members of the Jamaican Defence Force.
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