The St. Ann Parish Disaster Committee of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) have collaborated to stage a series of public meetings throughout the parish, aimed at heightening citizens' awareness of the importance of disaster preparedness.

The first meeting, which also formed part of activities to mark Earthquake Awareness Week, from January11 - 17, throughout St. Ann, was held at the Mount Moriah Primary School on January 13. Residents of the Mount Moriah community, who turned out in large numbers, expressed appreciation for the presentations, which they said provided information that will greatly assist them.

"I am happy for this meeting..., and I would like to see others held. It was very informative, and I am sure that those who came out grasped a lot," Donna Douglas, a resident, told JIS News.

Another resident, Avis Palmer, noted that the forum's staging was timely.

"We are more than thankful to the JIS, and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) representative for coming... and educating us. community members, because we need to know more about disaster preparedness," Mrs. Palmer said.

Meanwhile, St. Ann Parish Disaster Coordinator, Alvin Clarke, told JIS News that, in its execution of the activities, the Committee will be seeking to target a wide cross-section of stakeholders, using a broad scale approach.

"We are dealing with sensitization of most of the communities, schools, and businesses through drills, community meetings, and the issuing of brochures and pamphlets to persons in the business places or just to the man in the street. Out of this, we will [seek to] continue to have public education meetings, [and] getting community groups together, so that we can continue the programme, not just for the month of January or for a week, but up to the [start and duration of the] hurricane season, and after," Mr. Clarke outlined.

He further informed that the Committee is also seeking to stage zonal community meetings, to coincide with the ODPEM's plans to mobilize citizen participation in the disaster management process across St. Ann.