Government to assist MoBay flood victims
Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government will be assisting persons who have been affected by the massive flooding that ravaged sections of Montego Bay, St James, on Wednesday.
Addressing the media following a tour of the affected areas yesterday, Holness said that in addition to a $20-million emergency allocation from the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, he will also have a meeting with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security “to see how best they can also help with the emergency at hand.”
“I want to say that the Government will support as much as we can with the recovery efforts,” he said.
“We want to ensure that persons who have been affected, who have lost property, especially homeowners, that there will be some assistance provided,” he added.
The heavy rains caused massive flooding in the city centre area and neighbouring communities. A number of businesses, including the RIU Hotel in Ironshore, were affected, and areas such as Union Street, St James Street, Gully and Sam Sharpe Square were impassable for several hours. The prime minister further noted that the people of Montego Bay should be commended for their quick response to the flooding and also for their willingness to go the extra mile to assist each other.
“It is important to say that Montego Bay is still open for business,” Holness said. “What I have seen here is an incredible resilience of spirit. The people of Montego Bay, especially in the town centre, who have been affected, they are up, they are about, they are cleaning up, they are drying out, and they are looking to start again,” he said.
For his part, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, said that he has already approved $10 million from the Parish Emergency Fund, and an additional $10 million will come from the Equalisation Fund.