LABOUR DAY activities this year will be focused on disaster preparedness and will be observed in May under the theme, 'Prepare for Disaster: Recover Faster'.
Launching Labour Day 2005 at Hope Gardens in Kingston yesterday, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson underscored the importance of the country to be prepared for natural disasters. He also cited the recent passage of Hurricane Ivan and noted that the situation could have been worse if the country had had a direct hit.
"We need to move beyond the stage of preparing when a natural disaster is about to strike and creating those conditions, which will minimise the likelihood and the extent of damage caused by natural disasters," said the Prime Minister.
Mr. Patterson was also responding to an earlier call made by Pearnel Charles, Opposition spokesman on Local Government, who suggested that a Disaster Prevention Committee should either be set up, or duties of the Disaster Preparedness Committee be extended to include this.
He said, "Somebody has got to go to this country and say to our brothers and sisters that the natural disasters of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes may come from time to time but we are creating the environment for a disaster and we are doing that daily."
ACTIVITIES
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture will this year lead the Labour Day activities across the island. These activities, Mr. Patterson said, will include tree planting, drain cleaning, trimming of trees, the construction of proper emergency exits for schools and other public buildings, working on public health facilities and renovating and upgrading of shelters.
Prime Minister Patterson said that the country would have to move to the point where schools would no longer be used as shelters during natural disasters. He explained: "I am very anxious for us to reach that point where we no longer have to resort to the use of schools for public shelters. This is so for two reasons. One, I hear disturbing reports (and) disturbing evidence of what happens in schools when they are used as centres."
This year's national project will be the Buena Vista district community centre in St. Elizabeth, which will be renovated and refurbished at a cost of $3.5 million.
