KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Karl Samuda, has announced the appointment of Joy Douglas to chair the Board of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

The other members include Dr St Aubyn Bartlett, Deputy Chairman; Assistant Commissioner of Police, Calvin Allen; Lieutenant Colonel Maurice Matthews, Jamaica Defence Force; Assistant Commissioner, Jamaica Fire Brigade, Sean Martin; Councillor Pauline Reynolds; Fabian Brown; Dorothy Carter Bradford; Alston Douglas; Patrick Gordon; Richard Burrow; Major Gregory Webster; and Richard Thompson.

Samuda made the announcement during Wednesday’s post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House in St Andrew.

They will serve from September 30, 2019, until September 29, 2022.

The ODPEM provides disaster management functions in Jamaica.

Its operations are designed towards, among other things, developing and implementing policies and programmes for the purpose of achieving and maintaining an appropriate state of national preparedness for natural disasters and other emergency events.

The agency also encourages and supports disaster preparedness and mitigation measures in all parishes, in association with Local Government authorities, community-based organizations and private and voluntary agencies.

The original article is on Jamaica Observer