Natural disasters have a dire impact on the World Economy and Jamaica needs to practice disaster risk reduction to combat the effects from a global perspective.
That’s the word from the Acting Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Richard Thompson,who says there were over 300 natural disasters globally in 2018.
“Over 68 million people were impacted and damages resulted in over US 131 billion dollars. That is significant for the World Economy. Given the advent of climate change, we have been having extreme temperature conditions and alot of drought related events,” Thompson shared.
Thompson notes that Jamaica’s vulnerability to natural disasters means that successive governments must plan ahead to reduce the impact.
“You realise that these events would have been eroding the economic gains that the country would have made. When you look at us in Jamaica, we are susceptible to these events,” he added.
In July 2020, Jamaica will be hosting the Seventh Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean under the theme: Building Resilient Economies in the Americas and the Caribbean.
Local Government and Community Development Minister, Desmond Mckenzie says the forum will now raise greater awareness for the region.
KHADIJAH THOMAS
April 28, 2024- Eight-year-old Ramiel Richardson perished in a fire at his home in Top…
The journey of motherhood can be overshadowed by postpartum depression (PPD), a silent struggle affecting…
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles Jr., has announced that a new PATH…
A gunman was shot and killed in Clarendon while attempting to rob a taxi operator…
Foreign Minister of Jamaica Kamina Johnson Smith, has confirmed the government’s decision to officially recognize…
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has initiated legal action against Cricket West Indies (CWI) and…