SPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine:
THE OFFICE of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) launched Disaster Awareness Week in Bayside, Portmore on Saturday in the form of an expose at the Portmore Shopping Mall.
According to Paul Saunders, Acting Director General of the ODPEM, the agency will be using a multi-faceted and multi-agency approach so as to make all concerned more aware of their responsibilities in response to preparation in cases of natural disasters.
"The ODPEM awareness campaign has been around for some time and this is the third consecutive expose in the Portmore area. The objective is to educate the residents to be more proactive by giving accurately, timely and relevant information to them, which will be applicable in cases of natural disaster," he said.
The ODPEM also have on display its online programme, a 24-hour monitoring system by a two radio link up with all the relevant agencies including the police, JDF. International Rescue can be accessed, even if the phone systems are down.
Leroy Faulkner, telecom officer in the ODPEM, said that no one could predict a natural disaster, or the level of damage that might be caused, "so I think it's imperative that we update our system to the present status."
The OPDEM also have a website that can be accessed at www.odpem.org.jm.
