ODPEM ships emergency stock to councils ahead of 2026 hurricane season

Commander Alvin Gayle, Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), has confirmed that the agency is already sending essential materials to parish and municipal bodies so those stocks can be staged before storms arrive. The move forms part of Jamaica’s ongoing readiness for the 2026 hurricane season.

Gayle gave the update while answering questions from Julian Robinson, who chairs Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Robinson pressed the agency on whether hurricane shelters are fit for purpose, citing shortcomings that surfaced during Hurricane Melissa in October last year, and urged a fresh look at how shelters are stocked before the next major system.

In reply, the ODPEM chief outlined steps now under way: attention to the rules governing shelters, talks with local government partners, and the handover of supplies already under way. He also reported that shelter managers are being trained, and said he expects those efforts to produce stronger day-to-day running of shelters when they are activated.