HURRICANE WARNING LIFTED

OFFICE OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

For Immediate Release

NEWS RELEASE # 15

ISSUED ON: Monday, August 20, 2007 at 6:00pm

HURRICANE WARNING LIFTED FOR THE ISLAND

The Hurricane warning was lifted for the island of Jamaica at 10:00am by the Meteorological Service. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Dean the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) reports that, regrettably, two persons were confirmed dead from the parishes of Clarendon and St. Thomas.

Blocked Roadways

A number of blocked roads have been reported from the Kingston Metropolitan Area, Western and Northeastern sections of the island, details of which are as follows:

Westmoreland:

• Single lane traffic from Bogue to Content
• Hopeton to Auchin Town blocked
• Chestercastle to Jacksongate (Westmoreland end) blocked
• Single lane traffic in the Three Miles area

St. James:

• Anchovy to Mount Honeb is impassable and the Richmond route is reduced to single lane traffic.
• Downed JPS wires from Chestercastle to Jacksongate (Hanover end)

Trelawny:

Single lane traffic from:

• Rock to Steer Town
• Falmouth to Springvale
• Martha Brae to Kinloss

Work is currently in progress to clear all blocked roads from:

• Rio Bueno to Jackson Town
• Duncans to Long Pond
• Salt Marsh to Kent
• Hamdem to Wakefield
• Deeside to Drumily

Portland:

• All main roads have been cleared except roadways from Muirton to Fair Prospect and Hector’s River to Muirton in Buff Bay.

St. Catherine:

• The Bog Walk area and roads from Ewarton to Mount Diablo are open to single lane traffic.

St. Ann

Single lane traffic:

• From Priory to Bamboo
• Hopewell to Ocho Rios
• Green Park to St. Ann’s Bay
• Milford to Parry Town
• Brown’s Town to Bamboo
• Brown’s Town to Alexandria
• Moneague to Blackstonedge

Shelters:

Earlier today 268 shelters remained open across the island, housing some 6,445 persons. This number is expected to decrease as persons return to their respective homes.

Airports:

The roadway leading to the Norman Manley airport is now open to single lane traffic and the airport is currently accommodating emergency flights only. Full operations should resume tomorrow. At the other end of the island, the Donald Sangster Airport has re-opened to the public.

Coordination of Relief Supplies:

The National Welfare Sub-committee has met and is seeking to establish registration centres for the impacted communities. These registration centres will be located at Seven-Day Adventist Churches island-wide and other soon to be named locations. Emergency distribution of critical relief supplies has commenced and is being coordinated through the Parish Disaster Committee.

Further updates will be supplied as available.

Contact:

Krechet Douglas-Greaves

Information and Training Unit, ODPEM

928-5111-4

kdouglas-greaves@odpem.org.jm