Gov't gets high praises for storm preparation

At least two private-sector groups have applauded the efforts of the Government and other state bodies for their coordinated, prompt and efficient response to the threats posed last week from Hurricane Matthew.

The Jamaica Manufacturer's Association (JMA) hailed the administration, the Meteorological Service of Jamaica and departments of government who led preparations for what was expected to be the onslaught of the Category Four hurricane on Jamaica.

"The actions of the national disaster response team were decisive and inspired confidence in the level of Jamaica's preparedness. The JMA is distinctly pleased by the highly effective precautionary measures that were put in place for a hurricane the magnitude of Matthew," the association declared.

At the same time, Dennis Chung, chief executive officer of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, said the public education exercise "was good, with constant information being given to the nation" as the storm approached Jamaica.

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"I think they did very well, given the limited resources and the time and the challenges they had to deal with in terms of infrastructure," he added.

Chung, who is also chairman of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), said he received constant updates from the NSWMA over the weekend "and they were on top of everything in terms of clearing backlog, positioning the trucks to the areas that would be most affected".

The JMA also commended the Government and other agencies for effectively communicating critical information to the public. "This approach to preparing and responding to the potential disaster presents an important model for building resilience in the event of other natural disasters and calamities," the private-sector body stated.