Gov’t committee finds urgent need to overhaul Ja’s disaster management
Published:Friday | July 11, 2025 | 1:10 AMLivern Barrett/Senior Staff Reporter
A government-appointed committee that conducted a “comprehensive” review of Jamaica’s disaster risk management mechanisms has delivered some “sobering” findings, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has disclosed.
Holness did not divulge details of the findings but warned that while there are “solid institutional systems” in place, “significant gaps exist”.
“Particularly in cooperation, data-sharing, and rapid execution,” he said on Thursday during a ceremony hosted by the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation at the S Hotel in St Andrew just over a year after Hurricane Beryl ravaged sections of the island.
The ceremony was to update the public on the Building a Better Jamaica Fund, which was jointly launched by the NCB Foundation and the Government last year to assist with the national recovery efforts following the passage of the Category 4 storm.
The Disaster Risk Management Review Committee was appointed by Holness last September arising from some of the challenges that were exposed by Hurricane Beryl.
ISSUES BEING REVIEWED
The current state of disaster management in Jamaica, the role of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), and the state of critical infrastructure and essential services were among the eight fundamental issues the committee was tasked with reviewing.
The other areas were community preparedness and parish coordination; emergency response capabilities; the role of non-governmental organisations and multilateral agencies; disaster risk financing and resource mobilisation; and the integration of technology into disaster management.
One of the committee’s “foremost” recommendations, the prime minister said, was the “urgent need to restructure and modernise ODPEM” so that it can fully assume its role as the national coordinating body in a national emergency.
“The Government is moving with urgency to act on the committee’s recommendations, including legislative amendments, improved inter-agency coordination protocols, and deeper integration on climate resiliency into all facets of national planning,” he said.
The findings of the Disaster Risk Management Review Committee come as the Meteorological Service of Jamaica (Met Service) forecast that there could be three to five major hurricanes for the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
The Met Service also warned that between 13 and 19 tropical storms could develop this season.
HURRICANE PROJECTION
Evan Thompson, director of the Met Service, said the projection indicates Category 4 or 5 hurricanes, with sustained wind speeds exceeding 177 kilometres per hour.
Holness said the report from the review committee is not just a diagnosis of the issues but “a blueprint designed not only to address systemic deficiencies, but to build a more cohesive, efficient, and resilient disaster management architecture”.
“We have started to put measures in place to ensure that should there be another disaster, our response mechanism would be appropriate and strong,” he said.
The report will be released to the public “at some point in time”, the prime minister said.
The Building a Better Jamaica Fund raised and disbursed $459 million – exceeding the target of $300 million – to fund a range of mitigation activities for citizens impacted by the storm.
Approximately 12,685 families received emergency-relief supplies, according to the NCB Foundation, which provided matching donations to the fund.
Perrin Gayle, chief executive officer of the NCB Foundation, disclosed that the fund also benefited 1,191 farmers and fisherfolk and rebuilt 795 roofs.
He disclosed, too, that 1,821 homes and community buildings were restored and that water was restored for over 3,000 residents via two generators that were purchased from the fund.