The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) as part of its Hurricane Preparedness Month activities for May 2013, hosted housing sector professionals in a day long forum at the Knutsford Court Hotel on Thursday May 16, 2013.
Over 50 stakeholder agency representatives met to discuss the strengthening of housing policies, architectural designs and strategies and solutions for habitation during relief recovery and resettlement. The day’s agenda also focused on incorporating hazard information towards safety and sustainability, which will lend itself to informing the development of Jamaica’s Housing sector Disaster Risk Management Plan.
Arising from the organization’s last management retreat in September 2012, Housing and Education were identified as key sectors for the development of a disaster management plan. Acting Director General of the ODPEM, Richard Thompson, speaking to the importance of the development of the housing DRM plan for Jamaica, recited statistics that substantiate the need for intervention. “In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy the MLSS reported that a total of 17,198 households sustained damage to household items and houses”, Thompson said. “Some 807 houses were totally destroyed, while 10,307 experienced minor damage with 5232 with severe damages. The estimated cost of damage was reported to be 1.15 million…” he continued.
“At the policy level it is of utmost importance to mainstream disaster risk reduction in the reconstruction strategies to enable a safe built environment and build back better”.
State Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Honourable Colin Fagan, in bringing greetings highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to providing a national building framework. “It is in this regard that the Ministry has been pursuing a legislative agenda which includes the promulgation of a National Building Act”, said Minister Fagan. “The Act will provide a modern legal framework for effective regulation and management of building-related activity, to ensure safety in the built environment and promote sustainable development. The bill will address complaints of homeowners and architects who bemoan the lack of standardized building practices and strict enforcement of building codes”, he concluded.
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Contact: Orlene Lewis, Information Officer olewis@odpem.org.jm