Jamaica Gleaner

[ Photo Gallery ] [ Bulletins ] [ Live Audio ] [ Letters to the Editor ] [ Help ]

BULLETIN #33
Rebuilding Jamaica
October 13, 2004 - 5:00 p.m.

ONR to coordinate repair and rehabilitation work on schools
Within a week the Office of National Reconstruction (ONR) will be coordinating the repair and rehabilitation work on schools that were damaged by Hurricane Ivan.

UDC to assist with rehabilitation of 59 schools and tertiary institutions
The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) will assume responsibility for the rehabilitation of 59 secondary and tertiary institutions in seven parishes.

This comes in light of an assessment by the UDC, which confirmed the preliminary investigation carried out by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture, that damage to the institutions were primarily to roofs, the exposed structure and interior of the buildings as a result of Hurricane Ivan.

Multi-disciplinary teams organized by the UDC, to undertake the assessment and are now at work in the field to provide estimates and prepare contracts. The teams will also present data by October 15 regarding detailed estimates for the repairs to each school.

Farmers urged to register with ABIS
Farmers in Portland, who were affected by Hurricane Ivan, are being urged to register with the Agriculture Business Information System (ABIS) programme currently being conducted by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).

Registration with the programme is necessary in order to access government's rehabilitation assistance to the agriculture sector.

While the government will not be able to provide the farmers with assistance to cover all the losses suffered, they will receive support in reviving their farms and re-organizing their lives. In addition, the aid given to farmers will be in direct relation to the amount of loss reported.

Benefits will be distributed through the Office of National Reconstruction, which was established specifically to deal with matters relating to the recovery effort following Hurricane Ivan.

Health Ministry implementing vector control measures
The Ministry of Health is currently implementing measures aimed at controlling the population of mosquitoes. Fogging, which targets adult mosquitoes, has started in most parishes. In addition, vector control teams have been carrying out larvicidial activities among other interventions, in order to eradicate the mosquitoes in the aquatic stage of development.

The Ministry dispatched parish vector control teams to conduct assessments and surveys of their respective parishes, in order to determine the most problematic areas. To date, assessments of all parishes have been completed and intervention programmes have been implemented.

In the meantime, the Health Ministry is advising the public to employ measures to protect themselves against mosquito bites. Persons are encouraged to invest in repellents and use them particularly in hours between 6 and 9 pm. This is in addition to, using mosquito coils and insect spray.

Contact: The Public Relations Department
E-mail: pr@jis.gov.jm
Tel: 929-1919