WESTERN BUREAU:

Disaster preparedness coordinators in the western region say they are satisfied with efforts to ensure that citizens are safe as the country brace for the impact of Hurricane Gustav.

From St Elizabeth to Trelawny, shelters have been identified and parish managers have been put on alert.

"We have some critical areas, so some people normally go into the shelters before a situation develops," said Fay Headley, disaster parish co-ordinator for Hanover.

Some other coordinators ex-plained that drains had been cleaned before the storm threatened.

Community relations officer of the National Works Agency, Janel Ricketts, told The Gleaner that the work done so far should help to reduce flooding on roadways in western parishes.