KINGSTON, Jamaica– As part of  its efforts to strengthen disaster resilience in vulnerable communities, the Jamaican government is partnering with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to implement early warning systems in four parishes.

Local Government and Community Development Minister Desmond McKenzie said the initiative will be undertaken in St Catherine, St Mary, Portland and St. Thomas.

The US$1 million project is slated to come on stream in early 2019, the Minister said, as he launched the national hurricane preparedness campaign at Jamaica House, recently.

“We’re going to be the third country outside of Cuba and the Dominican Republic that will benefit from this program with the UNDP, where they will help us to create a National Climate Information and Early Warning Service for Disaster Risk Reduction,” he said.

The early warning system will serve as a means of informing citizens in vulnerable areas before a disaster strikes.