Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says his administration has affirmed its commitment to ensuring that systems of accountability continue to work during disasters.

Addressing the National Disaster Risk Management Council meeting at the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development on Wednesday (June 4), Holness noted that there is an expectation that the Government is at liberty to suspend or ignore rules in the disbursement of public resources.

Holness said that citizens in distress may even query why identification is being requested.

“After the disaster has passed and it goes to the committee of Parliament, it is the same citizens who are going to say, represented by their parliamentarians, that the Government gave grants to people who didn’t exist. It’s the same criticism that is going to be levelled at the Government that we are not following the rules and that there is some corruption somewhere. We can’t suspend the rules. We understand the situation that you are in but you live in a democracy with rules and laws,” Holness said.

To this end, he urged Jamaicans to properly secure personal identification documents and make copies of them, in preparation for the hurricane season.

“Your ID, in a sense, is also digital and not exclusive to you. So, for example, if you have a TRN (Taxpayer Registration Number) and you are able to tell us what your TRN number is, we can go and check to verify your identity,” he explained.

Holness noted that citizens have a duty to ensure that their details are correct on identification documents, as this aids in the speed of response.

Following the devastation by Hurricane Beryl last July, a Disaster Risk Management Review Committee was established.

The committee found that a unified database of persons who were affected by the disaster did not exist.

“What you found is that you could very well have duplication of effort. So, someone could get a benefit from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, get a benefit from ODPEM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management) or some other entity giving and then go to Food For the Poor, for example, and other non-governmental entities that are also on the field of response,” the prime minister said.

Holness shared that the Government is looking to develop a centralised database, where, at least in the first instance of the response, all affected Jamaicans are supported.

The prime minister urged Jamaicans to prepare, underscoring that preparedness saves lives, protects progress and shortens recovery.