Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter
AMID PREDICTIONS of an active hurricane season, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is already indicating that budgetary constraints will impact heavily on its public education campaign for the season.
Dr. Barbara Carby, director-general of the ODPEM, told The Gleaner that this year's fiscal allocation of $66.3 million was far less than the $100 million that was requested.
"We won't be able to mount as large a public education campaign as we would like to," she said.
In addition, Dr. Carby said the ODPEM's community awareness programmes and its overall work programme would be affected. Last year's revised budgetary allocation was $60 million.
In the meantime, Dr. Carby said that the department was currently trying to get corporate sponsors and international donors to help financially with some of its programmes.
She said the response so far has been positive, with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Scotiabank Jamaica pledging to assist. But, according to hurricane watchers in the Caribbean, this year's season is expected be an active one.
According to noted climatologist, William Gray, there will be 13 named tropical storms in the Atlantic, seven of which will become hurricanes, with three turning into major storms with winds clocking speed in excess of 111 miles per hour.
