Trelawny authorities report significant progress in Hurricane Melissa recovery

By Halshane Burke  

 

 

The Trelawny Municipal Corporation says the parish has made significant progress in recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

 

The parish was hard hit when the Category 5 storm swept across the western end of the island one year ago.

 

Colin Gager, Chairman of the Municipal Corporation and Mayor of Falmouth, says residents and businesses have managed to rebuild their lives.

 

"Persons have bounced back well. We have received help from various government agencies. Those who had lost their houses, they have put back their pieces together. They would have received help, too, from Ministry of Labour and Social Security. They would also receive help from their relatives and friends abroad and they would have also received help from their own sources," he shared. 

 

Mayor Gager said several lessons have emerged from the hurricane experience and these will better guide the corporation's response to future disasters.

 

"Agencies must coordinate. You must be able to respect and report to the EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) so that we know exactly what is going on, and all agencies start working from the same handbook. Therefore, if it is delivering of goods, all agencies must report to the EOC and we know where they are going, when they are going, who they are going to serve, so that we don't have the duplication because a lot of that went on."

 

He said shelters will also be revisited to ensure they are better able to withstand disaster.  

 

"We are looking at some of the community centres that really [have] at this time concrete or slab roof, so that we can be better able to function from there. We had a few where we used the school. We are finding out, we are looking at different places this time," he noted.

 

Meanwhile, the mayor said efforts are underway to relocate the seven people who remain in shelters.

 

"We are working on them. I was told just this week that the containers did come down. I haven't got the other development on it. But these are seven persons and we had a lot of things to work out with the ownership of land and all of that. That has been worked on now, and we are hoping that very soon they will be in their container houses," said Mr. Gager.