Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
A resident at Caribbean Terrace in Harbour View, St. Andrew, securing his house in preparation for Hurricane Dean, yesterday.Shelly-Ann Thompson, Staff Reporter
Twenty shelters in the Corporate Area have been opened by the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC), in light of the impending passage of Hurricane Dean that is expected tohit the island this afternoon.
At a press conference convened yesterday by the corporation at its downtown Kingston offices to update the country on its state of readiness for the hurricane, Mayor Desmond McKenzie said that more shelters of the total 134 across the parishes would be opened as the need arises.
He is also appealing to persons living in flood-prone areas to evacuate for their personal safety.
According to Mayor McKenzie nine of the 20 shelters would serve the communities of Harbour View, Taylor Land and Caribbean Terrace. A few of these shelters are:
Harbour View Primary School St. Benedict Primary School Port Royal Basic School.Other shelters have also been activated for the Riverton City and New Haven surroundings, namely:
Edith Dalton James High School. Riverton City Basic School.Mayor McKenzie said that supplies, such as blankets and mattresses, would be provided at the shelters.
Take needed items
"People must bare in mind though, that they are not going to a five-star (hotel) and that they too must take with them needed items," he said.
Mayor McKenzie noted that these shelters would be manned by officials of the KSAC and the disaster management committee for the municipality.
Yesterday, the mayor also disclosed that with the threat of Hurricane Dean to Jamaica, the KSAC had examined and evaluated drains.
With an additional budget of $2.5 million, work had been done to clear about 10 crucial drains, gullies and roadways in the Corporate Area, he said. These areas include the Tivoli Gully, Greenwich Town, that is East Avenue to Marcus Garvey Drive, Harbour Drive, Paradise Street and Windsor Lodge.
"This will not eliminate the flooding as we expect to be affected by large volumes of water from this hurricane, but we are doing our best to limit flooding," Mayor McKenzie noted.
He, however, added that some $22 million was spent since June on drain cleaning in about 30 divisions of the municipality.
"We are comfortable with what wewere able to achieve to now," he said.
Emergency numbers
The KSAC is currently operating on a 24-hour basis. Mayor McKenzie is asking the public, in case there is a problem, to use the following telephone numbers:
303-7701309-7702/3/6309-7710/1917 495-1238
