Prime Minister Andrew Holness is lauding the country’s comprehensive disaster response mechanism which he says was on display yesterday in the aftermath of a 5.6-magnitude earthquake that rattled the island. The earthquake, which lasted approximately 30 seconds, had its epicentre 10 kilometres south of Buff Bay in Portland and was felt in eastern Jamaica and several other parishes. The heavy shaking caused people to flee buildings.
While there were no reports of injuries, hospitals saw an influx of people suffering from panic and asthma attacks. Food, liquor and other items stumbled off the shelves in grocery stores, rockslides occurred in some parishes and power outages were also reported in some areas.
The earthquake also caused minor damage to buildings while classes were suspended at several schools, many workplaces closed for the day, and a traffic jam compounded by the outage of traffic lights at intersections caused major delays on the roadways.
While noting that this was the most significant earthquake the country had experienced in 20 years, Holness expressed his confidence in the response agencies, which he noted comprise the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), National Works Agency and National Water Commission (NWC).
Government prepared
“Jamaica has a very well-developed response mechanism. You would have seen it in action during COVID, you would have seen it in action earlier within the term when we have been threatened by hurricane,” he said during a press conference on Monday evening. “You can have confidence in tomorrow, in the future that the Government is prepared and we are able to respond.”
The prime minister however acknowledged that, if the damage caused by the earthquake had been more extensive, then the nation’s resources might have been stretched. But, he added, “in terms of management, in terms of technical know-how and experience, and in terms of commitment and will to keep Jamaica safe, yes, we are very strong in that regard, from a fiscal perspective as well”.
Holness said the damage caused by the earthquake could not be classified as significant and had not caused any serious dislocation. He said he had received reports, which the Ministry of Education and Youth is assessing, of some schools being damaged.
Richard Thompson, acting director of the ODPEM, said the most infrastructural damage was reported in Kingston and St Andrew.
He also encouraged Jamaicans to continue checking their buildings for cracks, shifts in pillars, posts and other beams and structural members, and to get a professional assessment if there is any damage.
In the meantime, Stewart Beckford, commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, said the response agency has been conducting assessments of buildings and had received two calls of collapsed structures in Kingston and St Thomas, but both were unoccupied.
Services restored
Although there were power outages in some parts of the island, Daryl Vaz, minister of science, energy, telecommunications and transport, said during the press conference that services had been restored to all areas of the island.
Senator Matthew Samuda, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, also shared that preliminary assessment of the NWC infrastructure showed no major damage to any water system. He however cautioned that the coming days may see some pipe breaks in the older pipelines.
EG Hunter, the managing director of the National Works Agency, reported minor damage had been sustained by government buildings assessed.
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton also shared that the infrastructure of several health facilities across the island had received minor damage.
In the meantime, Holness noted the psychological impact that the earthquake has had on citizens, resulting in disruptions in the country’s social and economic activities. While acknowledging that this was an expected response, he urged citizens to return to normal activities.
“I want the country to come back to work, but, when we come back to work, it is with the knowledge and understanding of what we need to do in order to be prepared. We can’t stop these natural events from happening, but we must be resilient, we must be prepared,” he said.
Thompson also encouraged Jamaicans to take cautionary measures in the event of an earthquake.
“We preach all the time as it relates to the drop, cover, hold principle, and I know sometimes when you have not experienced anything of this nature you tend to forget some of those principles,” the acting ODPEM head said.
Important too, he added, is remaining alert during these natural disasters.
Yesterday’s quake was the second significant tremor Jamaica has experienced in the past two months. In September, the country was hit by a 5.2-magnitude earthquake.
“During an incident of this nature, we know it gets a little bit dramatic and persons want to call each other, but we are asking persons not to use cellphones during these kinds of incidents unless it is absolutely necessary, where there is an emergency happening to you or someone close to you.”
