Hurricane Watch: Jamaican PM Holds Emergency Meeting at OPM

An emergency meeting will be held at the Office of the Prime Minister this evening to discuss measures to prepare for the possible threat of Hurricane Matthew. All Members of Parliament and emergency personnel including senior officers of ODPEM, MET Office, JDF and JCF are expected to participate in the meeting, which will commence at 6:00pm.

Commentary
Hurricane Matthew now a Category 2 status with winds of over 100 Kmh .One teenager is dead in the Dr. Ralph Gonzales’ led St. Lucia & the Grenadines … l
Commenting on how the teen died his mother said she asked her son not to go outside to fix a leak threatening their home. The rains softened up the soil and dislodged a bolder that found the teen in its path trapping him to the side of their home. It was a very large bolder …  the teenage had very little or chance of survival. We in Jamaica are on Hurricane Watch.  We offer our sympathies to the family of the dead victim. He died honourably.

 
Hardware stores and supermarkets are a buzz with activity as residents do last minute stock up on emergency items like kerosene oil, zinc sheets, lumber to do battenng down, canned meats, bread and other non perishables.

 
Emergency shelters are being opened, and disaster first responders activated and on alert. The Andrew Holiness administration has been very proactive.
Local Government Minister  Mckenzie on the ball. He has  responsibility for shelters, waste water drains and local roads controlled by the local municipalities.
Police, Army and hospitals on alert.
We brace for the worse but expect the least damage.
Commentary by Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie for Vision Newspaper Canada.