10/03/2016
As our beloved Jamaica awaits the awful onslaught of Hurricane Matthew, I know that you are joining in continued prayers that Jamaica will be spared the worst. I hope that your relatives and loved ones at home in Jamaica have been able to make the necessary preparations for their safety and welfare.
I am forwarding for attention and dissemination to nationals under your jurisdiction, the attached press release from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith. Please take careful note of this press release.
The Office for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has also been issuing updated bulletins in relation to Hurricane Matthew. These can be accessed at the following link:
www.odpem.org.jm
The High Commission will be sending out, in due course, further communication after the passage of Hurricane Matthew as received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The High Commission will also be in further contact in relation to the mechanisms to be employed in the event that you receive offers for donations for disaster relief.
I trust that you will be in contact with the High Commission in terms of further information required, clarifications etcetera.
Kind regards
Janice Miller
High Commissioner
Jamaican High Commission
Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade
Press Release
JAMAICA IN FULL PREPARATION & ACTIVATION MODE
(MFA&FT Kingston: October 1, 2016)
Jamaica is under a Hurricane Watch in preparation for Hurricane Matthew, designated as a strong system that could cause significant damage to people, property and our country’s infrastructure.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, is assuring the international community, including our bilateral and international partner countries, as well as our Diaspora, that the Jamaican government is in full preparation mode.
“I wish to repeat the message of the Prime Minister of Jamaica, at the emergency meeting convened on Thursday, that we will engage our faith, but in our works we will rely on preparation to minimize damage and risk to personal health and property, as well as to optimize our ability to recover as a country. In that regard, the Prime Minister has today toured the island to personally assess the readiness of government disaster preparedness mechanisms and to continue his call for personal responsibility and preparation, while ensuring that the Government plays its part”.
The Minister also explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is designated in the National Disaster Plan, as the Official Focal Point of the Government for interfacing and coordinating with international agencies in relation to requests for international assistance, following a disaster. Contact has therefore been made with all overseas missions in this regard.
Minister Johnson Smith added, “Initial contact has also been made with the Heads of resident Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations in Jamaica, regarding support measures for their own safety, that of their staff and families, as well as their office facilities during the hurricane. We intend to provide further information on the process for engaging with them on any assistance that their respective countries or organizations may wish to offer to Jamaica, should the need arise”.
In closing, the Minister indicated that in the event that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has to suspend its communication systems within the Ministry in Kingston, the Embassy of Jamaica in Washington DC will become the primary point of contact for international communication.
Their contact information is as follows:
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 202-452-0660 or 202-986-0003
