ODPEM provides emergency relief support to affected families in Cooper’s Pen

KINGSTON, Jamaica—The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) says it has provided temporary shelter and essential relief support to families affected by the demolition of housing structures in Cooper’s Pen, Trelawny. According to ODPEM in a press release, the intervention was undertaken on Tuesday evening in coordination with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) following the identification of immediate humanitarian needs among affected residents. It said the response focused primarily on providing temporary shelter and essential relief support to assist families in managing their immediate circumstances.

The operation involved representatives from ODPEM and MLSS. ODPEM mobilised relief supplies from its available emergency stocks and facilitated their transportation and distribution to the affected families. Director General of ODPEM, Commander Alvin Gayle, said the agency’s intervention was guided by the immediate humanitarian needs identified within the community.

“Our immediate priority is to ensure that affected families have access to basic humanitarian support while the relevant authorities work through the broader issues associated with the situation. ODPEM’s role is to support the welfare and immediate needs of affected persons, and we responded by mobilising available relief resources in coordination with our partners. We will continue to engage the relevant agencies to determine what further support may be required,” Gayle said.

ODPEM said at the time of the intervention, an alternative temporary relocation site had not been identified for the affected residents. It said it therefore provided immediate shelter support while the appropriate authorities continue to consider the longer-term arrangements for the affected families. The agency added that it will remain engaged with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, local authorities, and other relevant stakeholders to monitor the humanitarian needs arising from the situation and to coordinate additional support where necessary and within the agency’s mandate and available resources.