ODPEM provides emergency relief to families displaced by Cooper’s Pen demolition

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) and other partners, has provided emergency relief assistance to families displaced by the demolition of homes in Cooper’s Pen, Trelawny.

The intervention was carried out on Tuesday evening after an assessment identified immediate humanitarian needs among the affected residents. The assistance focused on temporary shelter and other essential relief supplies to help families cope with their sudden displacement.

ODPEM mobilised relief supplies from its emergency stocks and facilitated their transportation and distribution to the affected families.

Director General of ODPEM, Commander Alvin Gayle, said the agency's response was guided by the immediate needs identified in the community.

“Our immediate priority is to ensure that affected families have access to basic humanitarian support while the relevant authorities work through the broader issues associated with the situation,” Gayle said in a press statement.

He said ODPEM would continue working with relevant agencies to determine what additional support may be required.

The relief intervention came a day after residents of a section of Cooper’s Pen were awakened by a pre-dawn demolition operation involving bulldozers, tractors and sledgehammers.

About 20 predominantly concrete houses were demolished during the hours-long exercise, which was conducted in the presence of a bailiff and a strong police contingent.

Residents said the operation came without warning, leaving them scrambling to retrieve personal belongings and, in some cases, with nowhere to go.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security had earlier indicated that approximately 40 families were affected by the demolition, including households with children, senior citizens, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable individuals, and that social workers had conducted a preliminary assessment to identify immediate welfare needs.

ODPEM said that, at the time of its intervention, no alternative temporary relocation site had been identified. It therefore provided immediate shelter assistance while the relevant authorities consider longer-term arrangements.

The agency said it will remain engaged with the MLSS, local authorities and other stakeholders to monitor the humanitarian situation and coordinate further assistance where necessary and within its mandate and available resources.

Meanwhile, residents of about 40 houses that remain standing on the property are reportedly uneasy after being warned that the demolition team could return to complete the exercise and clear the entire property.

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