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BULLETIN # 5
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 22 AT 5:00 p.m.
The Ministry of Health is reporting that there has been a slight increase in the number of cases of gastroenteritis in the parishes of Manchester and Clarendon, which were badly hit during the onslaught of Hurricane Ivan.
Speaking to JIS News Dr. Deanna Ashley, Director of Health Promotion and Protection in the Ministry of Health disclosed that although the number of cases ranged between 2 and 5 cases per day, "there was no real outbreak".
There is no need for panic, the Director said. However, she urged persons to be vigilant in ensuring the implementation of various preventative measures issued by the Ministry.
Speaking of outbreaks of other illnesses associated with natural disasters and in particular hurricanes, Dr. Ashley said that based on daily surveillance by the Health Ministry, to date, there are no reported or confirmed cases of Dengue and Typhoid fever.
Westmoreland Roads and water update
More than 80 per cent of the 90 blocked roadways in Westmoreland have been cleared
to accommodate vehicular traffic.
Superintendent of Roads and Works at the Westmoreland Parish Council, Albert Stewart, gave JIS News an update on the roads remain impassable. They are: the St. Paul's Road from Negril Spot to White Hall, Old Hope to Revival, Peggy Barry that links Glasgow to Hanover, Kilmarnock to Maranger, Lower Darliston to Orange Hill and Jacks Gate to New Market.
According to Mr. Stewart, the Westmoreland Parish Council is now carrying out remedial relief work to have most if not all of the roadways back in condition for public travel as soon as possible.
Speaking of Westmoreland's water supply systems, Mr Stewart reported that some 50 per cent of the minor water supplies for the parish have been affected, with approximately 23 catchment and wayside tanks damaged by the hurricane.
The Westmoreland Parish Council will need at least $2.6 million to repair the minor water supply systems for which it is responsible.
Washington
The Embassy of Jamaica in Washington, has continued to broaden its appeal to
Jamaicans in the United States to support relief and reconstruction efforts
in the island with the staging, last Thursday, of a town hall meeting in Philadelphia
in collaboration with the Jamaican Consulate in Philadelphia.
Local channels including the NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX Broadcasting affiliates, as well as the Philadelphia Tribune, spoke with Ambassador Gordon Shirley about relief efforts in Jamaica and gave him an opportunity to provide an overview of the extent of damage occasioned by the storm.
Following his visit to Philadelphia, Ambassador Shirley is scheduled to meet next weekend with the Jamaican community in Seattle, Washington as well as commercial interests in the city, including the Microsoft Corporation.
St. Mary update
Two weeks after the onslaught of Hurricane Ivan, three shelters are still open
in St. Mary, a dramatic reduction from the 100 shelters that were in operation
immediately following the hurricane at which time 5,000 persons took refuge.
Today, two weeks later, three shelters are accommodating some 34 persons.
The shelters in operation are the Annotto Bay Revival Church, the Old Enfield
Basic School, and the Mango Valley Community Centre.
Bog Walk Gorge update
The National Works Agency (NWA) is assuring the public that every effort has
been made to make the Bog Walk Gorge safe for vehicular traffic and there is
no need for undue concern by motorists.
Acknowledging that the Bog Walk Gorge endured a "battering" during the passage of hurricane Ivan, Vando Palmer, Communications and Customer Relations Manager at the NWA, outlined that his agency moved swiftly to repair the areas that were damaged to allow traffic to pass freely.
"It is not a smooth ride, but it is a safer ride than going through Barry, where we have a difficulty at an area near to the Wakefield turn-off where there is a spring and the water level rises and falls at its own fancy," he pointed out.
The decision to allow traffic to go through the Gorge rather than to have Barry as the only alternative route was necessary as the Sligoville Main Road is closed for urgent repairs, added Mr. Palmer.
Ensuring access to the road was the NWA's primary concern, he said. The next step will be to develop a long-term design for the main road that can endure the effects of natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes with minimal damage.
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