St. Thomas prepares for disaster
Jamaica Gleaner - Sunday, July 13, 2008
Residents of Mt Lebanus in St Thomas are forced to walk on a footbridge as the alternative route. The roadway was washed away during the heavy rains - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
In Sommerset, St Thomas, home-wrecking landslides during hurricanes and heavy rains are as predictable as the daily sunset.
So, when 28-year-old Stacy-Ann White, a teacher living in the community, heard about a way of preparing for hurricanes - with the hope of lessening the damage - she was quite determined to know more. She invited her neighbours too.
In the first week of June, farmers and other community members from Trinityville, Font Hill, Whitehorses, Botany Bay, Pamphret, Johnson Mountain, Taris and Spring Bank in St Thomas, participated in a two-day 'Initial Damage Assess-ment Workshop' hosted by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), and the Women's Resource and Outreach Centre.
This is an excerpt from an article published in the Jamaica Gleaner on Sunday, July 13, 2008. You can read the entire article at the Jamaica Gleaner.