Western parishes ready for hurricane

WESTERN BUREAU:

Disaster coordinators in western Jamaica are reporting that the five parishes in that region are ready for Hurricane Matthew should it make landfall in Jamaica.

When The Gleaner contacted the coordinators in St James, Trelawny, Westmoreland, Hanover, and St Elizabeth, they pointed out that shelter managers across the parishes have been put on alert, community volunteers were on standby to render assistance, and the various disaster-relief agencies were ready.

Up to press time, the hurricane was a major category four system.

DISASTER RESIDENT GROUPS

Claudine Forbes, disaster coordinator for St Elizabeth, said: "We have community disaster resident groups that have been placed on alert and they are equipped to deal with certain circumstances, and if not, to call in to the Emergency Operations Centre for assistance."

Disaster coordinators in St James, Hanover and Trelawny gave the assurance that their respective parish drains had been cleaned ahead of the hurricane.