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Jamaica

Jamaica: Persons in shelters in Clarendon being supplied with food items

MAY PEN (JIS)

Approximately 523 persons who sought accommodation in 13 shelters in Clarendon, because of the threat posed by Hurricane Ivan yesterday (July 7), are being supplied with food items through the initiative of the Clarendon Welfare Sub-committee.

"Since about 9:30 this morning, representatives from the Welfare Sub-committee have been in the field responding to persons with food items. We have targeted all the shelters now open to ensure that persons remain as comfortable as is possible," Delroy Palmer, Parish Manager for the Ministry of Labour and Social Security told JIS News.

According to Mr. Palmer, mattresses, blankets and tarpaulins were issued mainly to three shelters in the Portland Cottage area of Clarendon yesterday (July 7). He said efforts would be made today to deliver as many of the comfort items as possible to persons in all the shelters.

"We also encouraged persons to come into the shelters with as much supplies as they could, which would include food items, blankets, clothing and water," he said, adding that this was an important part of developing a culture of disaster preparedness.

Mr. Palmer noted that the current focus of the Welfare Sub-committee is to monitor the shelters, and that damage assessment would commence at a later date.

Some of the shelters are located at the Portland Cottage All-age School, the Portland Cottage Community Centre, the Portland Cottage Catholic Church, the Mitchell Town Community Centre, Bustamante High School, the York Town Community Centre, the Richmond Park Primary School, Rastacamp in Kemps Hill, Staceyville All-age, Kellits Primary School, Alley Primary, James Hill Primary and Tweedside Primary School.

Meanwhile, reports from Clarendon's Emergency Operating Centre have indicated that flooding has occurred in the Kennedy Grove community in Palmer's Cross in Central Clarendon, where about 20 houses have been flooded.

In addition, the Oliver Gardens community in central Clarendon and the Bottom Halse Hall community in south Clarendon have been flooded.

Several roads in Clarendon have also been reported blocked, including Denbigh Drive, the Comfort main road, Folly Bush road in Swansea, and roads in the Tollgate community.

In the Rock River Division, the Mitchell Hill and Garden Wood roads are blocked, a culvert has collapsed on the Sutton Road, sections of the Bottom Simon Road and the Sutton Road Bridge have broken away, and the Coxwain road is badly damaged.

Landslides have been reported in the Boghole, Ballards River and Smithville areas, with the road from Thompson Town to Smithville now blocked.