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Jamaicans are being encouraged to store an adequate supply of clean, drinking water to last at least three days, as the National Water Commission (NWC) systems may be impacted during the passage of Hurricane Melissa. “Whether it is they have a tank or buckets, or whatever it is they are using to put aside clean water, now is definitely the time to put aside your water for storage and to use it sparingly,” said Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda. He was addressing a press briefing at the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Kingston on Monday (October 27). Minister Samuda said that the first waves of the hurricane have caused some power disruptions, and NWC systems in the eastern sections of the island are already being impacted. “As power systems start to go down, you will start to see disruption to water systems, we imagine later this evening going into early morning tomorrow,” he noted. The Minister assured that the NWC is well placed to dispatch more than 50 generators very quickly after the storm. We are comfortable with where we are in that regard. I am also comfortable with the work that we are doing with the JPS (Jamaica Public Service Company). As we speak, the JPS is in some areas doing some maintenance work on lines that go to particularly critical water infrastructure, and that is a marked change from hurricane Beryl last year,” he said. The Minister urged patience after the storm passes as the NWC works to get water systems up and running, noting that measures are in place to get to 80 per cent of the customer base relatively quickly. Minister Samuda encouraged Jamaicans to listen to the notifications and advisories from reputable sources.
