‘Do not get caught in the illusion of crying wolf’, warns MoBay mayor as Beryl approaches

Montego Bay's Mayor Richard Vernon is urging residents to adequately prepare for the looming effects of Hurricane Beryl. 

Vernon warned against the "wait and see mentality".

He said though the information is readily available, many Jamaicans are choosing to not prepare as they don't believe that the natural disaster will affect the country. This, he pointed out, can be associated with the many hurricanes that have left Jamaica untouched over recent years.

"Do not get caught in the illusion of crying wolf," cautioned Vernon. 

"For many years and especially in recent years, we have had hurricanes threatening the Caribbean and Jamaica specifically. Persons cry wolf, but each time we don't see any wolf and at the moment that we least expect it, then the wolf arrives. That is the situation, and it can be an illusion, so I don't want persons to be caught in that illusion." 

The mayor added, "In other words, they have to be prepared for anything." 

In the meantime, Vernon said that the St James Municipal Corporation and other state agencies have been working to fully prepare the parish for the impending disaster.

He told The Gleaner that all 58 emergency shelters in St James are currently "up and running",  and an emergency drain cleaning exercise has been carried out across the parish. 

"We are doing the necessary work as the authorities to ensure that the parish is prepared, and the residents are in good hands," the mayor said.

He, however, pointed out that residents, too, have a responsibility to ensure that their environment is safe. 

"The residents themselves have a responsibility to ensure that their communities are prepared. They have to look around their spaces to ensure that if there are hazardous materials or structures in place, that they address them and if they need assistance, they reach out to their representative," said Vernon. 

"They, too, have a responsibility and they have to keep the line of communication open to emergency shelters, health centres, hospital and the municipal corporation."

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