PRIME MINISTER P.J. Patterson yesterday formally signed the Emergency Management (Disaster Areas) Order, 2002, declaring five parishes disaster areas for the next four months.
This followed his announcement of the declaration in Parliament on Tuesday that the five - Manchester, Clarendon, St. Elizabeth, St. Thomas and St. Catherine, the parishes deemed hardest hit by last month's flood rains, were to receive special attention. The Order will remain in force until August 31.
While all affected parishes will be dealt with, emergency crews are already in the five selected parishes undertaking the clearing/cleaning of drains to reduce water levels and to prevent future flooding; cleaning and opening roads to allow access to communities that have been cut off; provision of welfare relief to affected families; and implementation of measures to monitor water quality.
Under the provisions of the Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management Act (1993), disaster means: "The "occurrence or threat of occurrence of an event, caused by an act of God or otherwise, which results or threatens to result in loss or damage to property, damage to the environment, death or injury of persons, on a scale which requires emergency intervention by the state and includes widespread dislocation of essential services, fire, accidents, hurricane, pollution, disease, earthquake, drought and flood...".
Ten persons lost their lives during the floods which accompanied 10 days of continual rainfall between May 22 and 31. Hundreds more were removed to shelters, the majority in Clarendon as rising flood waters forced their evacuation.
The island's infrastructure took a battering with the road network buckling under the impact of the flood waters. An initial estimate of $1.3 billion to fix the infrastructure was announced by the Prime Minister. This is in addition to millions more that will have to be found to deal with agricultural losses.
"The health hazard posed by the widespread death of livestock, the damage to water supply systems, destruction of sanitary conveniences, and the large bodies of stagnant water make it imperative for immediate action," Prime Minister P.J. Patterson told Parliament Tuesday, at the time he made the declaration.
Dean Peart, Minister of Labour and Social Security told The Gleaner yesterday, "We are not waiting. The work (in the affected areas) has started already."
The Minister, who has responsibility for disaster preparedness, was in some of the most badly affected St. Catherine communities when The Gleaner contacted him.
"As soon as we identify the problems we deal with them," he said. He noted that while the US$20 million in emergency funds being negotiated with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will take some time in coming, the Ministry of Finance was "upfront with funds" to deal with the problem. The Government expects to spend $71 million by the end of the week to provide immediate relief in the worst affected areas.
Mr. Peart explained that the approach was to use small contractors and community-based persons to speed up the work. Assistance is being provided by the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Up to yesterday three families remained in shelters in Clarendon and Mr. Peart said arrangements will be made to relocate a family of 11 in St. Catherine whose house is still surrounded by water.
Disaster areas are so declared on the advice of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.
