MONTEGO BAY, St James — As Hurricane Beryl continued its approach towards Jamaica on Tuesday, the St James Municipal Corporation declared that 58 shelters were ready to meet the demands that may come today should people be displaced.

According to Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon, the shelters were also prepared to host members of the disabled community who could find themselves in a challenging situation because of the wind and rain.

Vernon urged members of the disabled community not to hesitate to go to a shelter if there is a need.

“The shelters have ramps for persons to access via wheelchair and in some sections they have rails that they can hold on to and all the necessary things in place to facilitate persons with disabilities,” Vernon told the Jamaica Observer.

“It may not be 100 per cent but we have made provisions to facilitate persons with disabilities during this time,” added Vernon.

With Hurricane Beryl set to impact Jamaica today, Vernon wants those vulnerable individuals to be covered.

“Those who cannot help themselves, or those who can barely help themselves, we have to ensure that we provide for them first,” he said.

In regards to the availability of shelters overall, the mayor said that those approved for use are in good conditions to meet the needs of people who may require them.

“If you are displaced in the event of the disaster, then you can utilise the shelter for that purpose. The shelters are there and available for everybody to use,” he said as he pointed to other options available to people at risk from flooding.

“What we recommend is that if you need to move prior to the arrival of the hurricane, then you reach out to a family member. However, if there is no space for you where the family is concerned, then you can ask to access the shelter,” said Vernon as he declared that St James is ready in terms of eventualities that may arise with the passage of the hurricane.

“The readiness of the municipality depends on the readiness of the respective agencies, and as you would have heard at this disaster meeting, they are in a state of readiness, a 100 per cent state of readiness,” said Vernon.

“The municipal corporation itself is in a state of readiness. We have our contractors on standby to respond in the aftermath and during the disaster we have the Jamaica Fire Brigade, critical agencies, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Jamaica Defence Force, all in a state of readiness,” added Vernon.

He told the Observer that at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, the official emergency operations centre for St James was established with support from several agencies.