$20m to be allocated for road repairs in Rocky Point
CLARENDON, Jamaica – Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, has announced that $20 million will be made available to repair roads in Rocky Point, Clarendon.
Lamenting the poor road conditions he had to endure to get to the location, McKenzie said the roads in the division would get much-needed attention in the short term.
“One of the first things we are going to do is to make the roads roadworthy. We are going to be providing some $20m from the Equalization Fund for the MP (Member of Parliament) and the ministry to determine how we can address some of the road conditions,” he said. “We can’t do all of the roads one time but at least make it much more comfortable for people to gain access to the community.”
He was speaking at a ceremony at the Rocky Point Community Center on Monday to hand over 10,000 hurricane roof straps to the community to aid in the rebuilding process following the passage of Hurricane Beryl in July.
According to Minister McKenzie, the communities of Portland Cottage and Rocky Point have registered the most damaged homes as a result of the storm.
“The major damage to houses was that some were built using poor material, some were built without proper engineering assistance, others that were built strongly, the walls might remain but the roofs flew away. If you take a survey of how many houses lost roofs, it’s a large number, this is the time to ensure that you have a proper roof.”
He also used the opportunity to encourage citizens to take responsibility for their own well-being as the country becomes even more vulnerable to natural disasters due to climate change.