‘Persons need to be proactive’
MoBay mayor urges citizens to take responsibility for their safety during Hurricane Beryl
Published:Wednesday | July 3, 2024 | 12:09 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
As Jamaicans brace for Hurricane Beryl, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon is urging citizens to take the necessary measures to protect themselves if they must relocate from their homes.
Vernon made the appeal while speaking to journalists on Tuesday afternoon following an emergency disaster preparedness meeting with stakeholder agencies at the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC).
“We have ensured that the shelters are in good condition and able to facilitate persons – the homeless population, persons who were deemed as vulnerable, and persons who have been displaced by any disaster. What we recommend is that if you need to move prior to the arrival of the hurricane, then you reach out to a family member, and if there is no space for you where the family is concerned, then you can ask to be placed at the shelter or to access the shelter,” said Vernon.
“If you are displaced in the event of the disaster, then you can utilise the shelter for that purpose. But the shelters are there and available for everyone’s use, even persons with disabilities, as we have ramps for persons with disabilities to access,” Vernon added.
The mayor issued a particularly strong warning for persons living close to rivers or gully banks, or in areas with a history of flooding, to relocate for their own safety.
Sections of Montego Bay, to include areas along the western city’s North and South Gullies, and other low-lying areas in St James have been prone to flooding during storms over the years.
“We ask them that due to historical events that would have caused them to be marooned, that they should act smart and take heed and move to higher ground so as to prevent loss of lives. We want to reduce the number of casualties that we will have to sustain, if we have to sustain any at all,” Vernon said.
“One part of that is for persons to be proactive. The Government can do as much as it can up to a point and no more, but persons do have to take their safety into their own hands, and we implore them to do so,” Vernon continued.
The mayor that the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Jamaica Defence Force, Red Cross, Salvation Army, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security are on hand to render assistance where needed during the passage of Beryl, and that Montego Bay’s homeless population will be provided with shelter at the western city’s Jarrett Park complex.
St James has had 58 designated shelters in light of the expected arrival of Hurricane Beryl, the first hurricane to form in the Atlantic for the 2024 hurricane season.