St Mary steps up storm preparations

The Mayor of Port Maria, Fitzroy Wilson, may be preoccupied with the usual round of drain cleaning ahead of the hurricane season. Yet, for him, the real priority is human safety in the event of a natural disaster.

Questioned about the recent drain-cleaning activities in Port Maria, Wilson pointed to the broader picture, emphasising that the human element takes precedence over road cleaning.

“You know, it’s not all about drain cleaning; it is about looking after our street people and to make sure we have a tab on them, that, in case of anything, we can take them to safety. It’s about checking the shelters to see — even after Hurricane Melissa — which ones we’re going to use again as shelter; the shelter managers, to see who are really willing to continue to serve as shelter managers. Remember, it’s a volunteering thing for them,” Wilson said.

Preparations are under way elsewhere. The emergency operations centre, which would house police, army and other state agency personnel during a crisis, is being fitted with a new roof to replace a leaking one.

“We’re doing the rounds to make sure, and we’re not taking anything for granted, because we understand what would have taken place last year in the western and southern sections of the island. We’re saying, if it was here, and it can come here, the best we can do is to prepare to our best, based on what resources we have.”

He also urged residents to observe planning regulations.

“With the residents adhering to the warnings, like building in the proper zone and in the proper way that they’re supposed to be building — and for those who are building illegally, for them to heed, because I know that it is a security measure for you — that, if you go through the building code at the municipal corporation, you would have a structurally sound building based on the recommendations that would have been approved by the municipal corporation. So it’s a win-win for them. We continue with all those things and to see how best we can let the parish be as safe as possible in any eventuality.”

Meanwhile, roughly $20 million has been allocated across the 13 divisions in St Mary, with each receiving a minimum of $1.1 million from the start of May, to ensure preparations are in place ahead of the hurricane season.

Following clean-up activities on the outskirts of Port Maria last week, Wilson also led the start of drain cleaning, town washing, sanitisation and flood-mitigation efforts in the town itself. The push intensified last week and involved agencies including the Jamaica Fire Brigade, the National Solid Waste Management Authority and the police.

“We used that opportunity to lift up all the drain covers and to clean the underground drains. We would have been doing most of the surface drains from over the past week.” He said.

Funds have also been set aside for similar work in Annotto Bay, separate from the more than $1 million allocated to each councillor.

Wilson described last weekend’s clean-up as a success, but expressed disappointment at what he sees as a lack of civic pride among some members of Port Maria’s business community, particularly in relation to garbage disposal. Better practices, he suggested, would allow money now spent on repeatedly clearing drains to be put to more productive use.

carl.gilchrist@gleanerjm.com