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BULLETIN #11
Rebuilding Jamaica
September 27, 2004 - 5:00 p.m.
Volunteer recruitment drive
The Office of National Reconstruction, the National Youth Service and the Jamaica
Combined Cadets will be recruiting youth volunteers, to help in the clean-up
process in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan.
"We're going to do an islandwide campaign, so we will go into certain areas and help with the clean-up process… We're looking at Negril to start with, for the obvious reason that it is a tourist destination. It's one of the areas that's a prime income earner for Jamaica," said Communication Liaison of the ONR, Tracey Hamilton.
The clean-up project will start by the second week in October, said Miss Hamilton, and the exercise will primarily be carried out on weekends. She adds too, that the group will liase with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and relevant parish officials to determine which areas were most devastated.
In addition, Chief Executive Officer of the ONR, Danville Walker will address members of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica at its head office on Hope Road on September 28 where he will make an appeal for additional funds to assist with the relief and reconstruction efforts.
Extension of hurricane damage assessment exercise
The hurricane damage assessment team led by the Ministry of Labour and Social
Security extends its Hurricane Damage Assessment Drive to Thursday, September
30.
According to Faith Innerarity, Director of Social Security, the Ministry has completed over 43,000 assessments to date, which represent approximately 70% of the total damage sustained islandwide.
Through the collaborative efforts of the Labour and Social Security Ministry, the Office of National Reconstruction and the Ministry of Finance and Planning strategies have been implemented for the processing and delivery of benefits to affected persons.
Processing of the assessment forms began on Friday September 24 by a team including representatives from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Electoral Office of Jamaica. Payments will be disbursed to the beneficiaries as soon as processing of the applications are completed.
The Social Security Ministry has so far distributed relief supplies to approximately 70,000 families islandwide, and has spent some $18 million to assist persons who have been affected by the hurricane.
Eighty-five per cent of island's water supply restored
The National Water Commission has reported that service is restored to over
306 water supply systems, which accounts for 85 per cent of its total production.
Of the NWC's 459 systems, only 153 are not operational. According to E.G. Hunter,
President of the NWC, the remaining schemes are largely small rural communities
accounting for 10-12 per cent of the Commission's output.
Meanwhile, the NWC is collaborating with other agencies in the reconstruction efforts. President Hunter said that officials will be visiting the potential relocation sites for persons from the Brighton community in Westmoreland to assess the water supply. A Venezuelan army contingent is also slated to assist in the rebuilding of houses for these victims.
Banana industry rehabilitation strategy
The Banana Export Company in collaboration with the European Union Banana Support
Programme are formulating a rehabilitation strategy to have a speedy return
to commercial activities within the banana industry between 7 to 8 months.
Activities critical to the rehabilitation process include:
Jamaica's commercial banana fields sustained significant damage as a result of hurricane Ivan
Blood Bank Drive at the Portmore Branch of JMMB
There will be a Blood Bank Drive at the Portmore Branch of the Jamaica Money
Market Brokers between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 pm on Tuesday, September 28. This
is the second collaborative effort between the Blood Bank and the JMMB, the
first of which was held at its headquarters located on Haughton Road in Kingston
last week.
Contact: The Public Relations Department
E-mail: pr@jis.gov.jm
Tel: 929-1919
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