The Customs Department has invoked its special clearance procedures for the processing of supplies entering the island for disaster relief. As such, hurricane relief imported by specific importers will be exempt from duty, GCT, environmental levy and customs user fee.

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These special procedures will apply to supplies consigned to the following ministries, agencies and organisations: Officeof Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Salvation Army, Red Cross, Food for the Poor, Missionaries of the Poor, Adventist Development and Relief Agency, members of the Jamaica Council of Churches and the Jamaica Association of Evangelicals.

Commissioner of Customs, Hector Jones, notes that the department stands ready to assist in the event of a disaster. "The staff has been working assiduously to ensure that relief is cleared expeditiously. The relief is urgently needed and so we must play our part in facilitating speedy clearance," Mr. Jones said.