JUTC suspends services amid Hurricane Melissa

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz says regular Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) services have been suspended and emergency mode activated, even as he lamented the low take-up for evacuation in vulnerable communities.

Vaz, who was speaking at a special press briefing Monday morning, said teams at the Rockfort, Spanish Town and Portmore JUTC depots and all five school bus regions are now on standby for emergency evacuation.

He said the state-run entity has responded to several calls since Saturday and noted that at 11:00 a.m. today the number of persons evacuated totalled almost 150.

“So there has been an uptick but way [below] what is required for a category five hurricane. Only one person in Port Royal, 42 in Tower Street/Rae Town, 50 in Rocky Point/Portland Cottage, and Parottee and Sandy Bay [in St Elizabeth] 55,” he said.

“I want to make an appeal… regardless of where it enters and where it exits, there is going to be massive flooding as a result of the surge that is going to require persons to relocate from their existing locations. So again, I can only add to the call, but advise you to listen to the government, or should I say, if you don't want to listen to the government, listen to Evan [Thompson],” he warned.

-Kimone Francis

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