JAMAICA: Jamaicans urged to make buildings earthquake resistant
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Mr. Jackson noted that Jamaica’s national architecture for dealing with emergency responses is ranked better than many of the other islands; however, citizens should ensure that their buildings are retrofitted to be more earthquake resistant.
“The fact is that we do have seismic hazards that can affect us at any time, and it really is about how well we prepare ourselves in the event that it happens, or how well we invest in more resilient infrastructure to be able to withstand any high-magnitude or any shallow event,” he pointed out.
Mr. Jackson was speaking in an interview with journalists following a media appreciation luncheon at the University of the West Indies Mona Western Jamaica Campus in Montego Bay on Tuesday (October 9). Mr. Jackson emphasized that preparedness is key to reducing risks, exposure, as well as susceptibility to the jolts of a high-magnitude earthquake.
“We need to look at how we are constructing new buildings, where we site them,” he said.
“In terms of the actual event itself, we have to really now look at understanding the immediate reactions that are necessary – the duck, cover, hold routine – and ensure that if you are at a school, business or any government institution… that you know what steps to take, in terms of evacuating the building, assembling in safe spaces, and ensuring you have wardens in the buildings, especially if you are multistorey,” he advised.
Mr. Jackson said that these measures should be “properly coordinated, rehearsed and exercised at the organisational level to make them effective”.
Release: JIS
Contact: Nickieta Sterling
Photo Caption: (insert) – Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Ronald Jackson.
SOURCE: http://magneticmediatv.com/2018/10/jamaica-jamaicans-urged-to-make-buildings-earthquake-resistant/
