Flash flood watch issued as Jamaica advances fire, infirmary, culture and voter-list updates

The Meteorological Service has placed low-lying and flood-prone communities in southern Jamaica under a flash flood watch until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10. The affected parishes are Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon, St. Catherine, St. Thomas, Kingston and St. Andrew.

Senior meteorologist and weather services manager Rowan Brown said a tropical wave west of Jamaica is combining with a trough over the island and upper-level support, producing cloudy skies, scattered showers and thunderstorms. He advised residents to monitor rising water and avoid walking or driving through flooded roadways. Showery and stormy conditions are expected to continue through Thursday and Friday.

The Jamaica Fire Brigade is preparing to open an emergency communication centre with an automated station alert system at the Waterford Fire Station in Portmore. Local Government and Community Development Minister Desmond McKenzie said emergency notifications should move to the relevant fire stations within 64 seconds, helping bring response time to two minutes and four seconds. Twenty-four firefighters trained earlier this year as emergency telecommunications operators will staff the centre. Similar centres will be rolled out in two phases, beginning with Kingston and St. Catherine stations, before expanding islandwide in the next financial year, with York Park Fire Station in Kingston serving as phase-two headquarters.

McKenzie also said Government is spending $200 million to ease overcrowding at infirmaries and reduce social cases in public hospitals. Another $54 million is earmarked to restore the St. Elizabeth, Hanover and Westmoreland infirmaries damaged by Hurricane Melissa. New infirmaries are planned for St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland and Trelawny, while a $70-million wing will be added to the Spanish Town Infirmary this year. Upgrades have also been done in St. Thomas, Hanover and St. James, and $160 million has been set aside for more indigent housing units.

The Institute for Cultural Practitioners, Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Creatives is on course to open in September. Culture Minister Olivia Grange gave the update at the Caribbean Studies Association’s 50th annual conference in Jamaica and said the institute, being developed with the Caribbean Maritime University and other partners, will support training, certification and stronger creative enterprises.

At Porus High School in Manchester, Jimalco has equipped the woodwork and electrical laboratories through its community development programme. State Minister Rhoda Crawford welcomed the investment, while Vice Principal Audrey Blake said the equipment will allow students to pursue certification in areas including welding and electrical installation.

The Electoral Office of Jamaica says more than 15,000 electors were removed from the voters list published on May 31, while 13,882 new names were added. The register now stands at just over two million electors, down by more than 1,000 from December 2025. The EOJ says the removals were guided mainly by data from the Registrar General’s Department and is asking newly added electors to collect voter ID cards by mid-June.