Black Immigrant Daily News

The National Water Commission (NWC) has received seven trucks, valued at approximately $92.6 million, which will significantly bolster the entity’s service delivery capability.

The vehicles were handed over on Tuesday during a ceremony at the NWC’s head office on Marescaux Road in Kingston, which was addressed by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

The trucks, which were supplied by the Tank-Weld Group, have a capacity of approximately 5,000 gallons of water and are equipped with front and rear watering, overhead spray, and side pipe features.

The units will be deployed across the NWC’s six regions. An eighth unit purchased is expected to be handed over to the NWC shortly.

Prime Minister Holness, in his address, said with the addition of the trucks to the NWC’s fleet, the entity is now able to provide emergency water supply to critical institutions, including hospitals, health centres, police stations, and schools.

He noted that the acquisitions are consistent with the Government’s mandate to build the resilience of Jamaica’s critical services.

“The NWC must always have the capacity to deliver water if there is a break in service, whether it is a mechanical break or systems break or, as we are experiencing now in some areas, drought or turbidity. We expect that going forward, the NWC must maintain the capacity to deliver water if there is a break in regular service,” the prime minister said.

Holness said the decision to allocate capital resources to purchase the trucks represents the Government’s investment in this vital resource, noting that “the NWC, in order for it to be a true and effective utility, must have the capacity to respond in emergencies”.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Matthew Samuda, said the increase in the NWC’s capacity “will allow us to be responsive to the needs of citizens and responsive to the needs of businesses”.

“There will be disruptions [in supply], but we will be better able to respond because of this investment,” he said.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness examines the features inside the cabin of one of seven new water trucks purchased for the National Water Commission (NWC). Presenting the unit’s key to is NWC President Mark Barnett. (Photo: JIS)

Chairman of the NWC, Michael Shaw, who noted the eastern section of the island (Portland, St Thomas, and Clarendon) is now experiencing turbidity due to the recent severe weather that affected Jamaica, pointed out that the trucks are a short-term solution while NWC continues work to provide all homes islandwide with access to potable water.

“It is hoped that these trucks will help to alleviate the demand for water when we have adverse water conditions. While there are challenges right across the island, we do have a strategic plan to alleviate the challenges we have in this country,” he said.

By Rochelle Williams, JIS News

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

El secretario de Hacienda, Francisco Parés, dijo en el programa Noches Con Sentido de Radio Isla, que se pospuso la fecha de vencimiento de la Planilla del IVU, para el 20 de octubre.   

Asimismo, Parés  informó  que se eliminó el IVU en los muelles, para evitar que cerca de 16 mil comerciantes que importen,  tengan que pagar este impuesto.

También, las personas que tienen ahorro en cuentas  en planes  cualificados como el 401 K, pueden solicitar hasta 10,000 de retiros de estas cuentas si sufrieron daños tras el paso del huracán Fiona.

“Si sufrieron pérdidas por causas del huracán Fiona, pueden solicitar hasta 10 mil dólares de estas cuentas sin pagar un solo dólar ni penalidades sobre ese retiro”.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

door Samuel Wens BOVEN-SURINAME — Granman van de Saamaka, Albert Aboikoni, heeft op zijn laatste brief van 2 september aan

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

Hurricane Ian tore into western Cuba as a major hurricane Tuesday and left 1 million people without electricity, then churned on a collision course with Florida over warm Gulf waters amid expectations it would strengthen into a catastrophic Category 4 storm.

Ian made landfall in Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province, where officials set up 55 shelters, evacuated 50,000 people, rushed in emergency personnel and took steps to protect crops in the nation’s main tobacco-growing region.

The US National Hurricane Center said Cuba suffered “significant wind and storm surge impacts” when the hurricane struck with top sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kmh).

A vehicle weaves through fallen trees bought down by the winds of Hurricane Ian, in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, September 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco)

Ian was expected to get even stronger over the warm Gulf of Mexico, reaching top winds of 130 mph (209 kph) as it approaches the southwest coast of Florida, where 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate.

Tropical storm force winds were expected across the southern peninsula late Tuesday, reaching hurricane-force Wednesday — when the hurricane’s eye was predicted to make landfall. With tropical storm-force winds extending 140 miles (225 kilometres) from Ian’s centre, damage was expected across a wide area of Florida.

It was not yet clear precisely where Ian would crash ashore. Its exact track could determine how severe the storm surge is for Tampa Bay, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. Landfall south of the bay could make the impact “much less bad,” McNoldy said.

Gil Gonzalez boarded his windows with plywood Tuesday and had sandbags ready to protect his Tampa home. He and his wife had stocked up on bottled water and packed flashlights, battery packs for their cellphones and a camp stove with a large propane burner as they prepared to evacuate.

Crews clear fallen trees bought down by the winds of Hurricane Ian, in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, September 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco)

“All the prized possessions, we’ve put them upstairs in a friend’s house and nearby, and we’ve got the car loaded,” Gonzalez said. He added: “I think we’re ready.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged people to prepare for extended power outages and to get out of the storm’s potential path.

Hundreds of residents were being evacuated from several nursing homes in the Tampa area, where hospitals were also moving some patients. Airports in Tampa, St Petersburg and Key West closed. Busch Gardens in Tampa closed ahead of the storm, while several Orlando-area theme parks, including Disney World and Sea World, planned to close Wednesday and Thursday.

Ian’s forward movement was expected to slow over the Gulf, enabling the hurricane to grow wider and stronger. The hurricane warning expanded Tuesday to cover roughly 220 miles (350 kilometres) of Florida’s west coast. The area includes Fort Myers as well as Tampa and St Petersburg, which could get their first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921.

Eastbound traffic crowds Interstate 4 as people evacuate in preparation for Hurricane Ian approaches the western side of the state, Tuesday, September 27, 2022, in Lake Alfred, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M Ebenhack)

“It’s a monster and then there’s the confusion of the path,” said Renee Correa, who headed inland to Orlando from the Tampa area with her daughter and Chihuahua. “Tampa has been lucky for 100 years, but it’s a little scary now.”

Forecasters warned the hurricane will be felt across a large area as it ploughs across Florida with an anticipated turn northward. Flash floods were possible across the whole state, and portions of Florida’s east coast faced a potential storm surge threat as Ian’s bands approach the Atlantic Ocean. Parts of Georgia and South Carolina also could see flooding rains into the weekend.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp pre-emptively declared a state of emergency Tuesday, ordering 500 National Guard troops to be placed on standby to respond as needed.

As the storm’s centre moved into the Gulf, scenes of destruction emerged in Cuba’s world-famous tobacco belt. The owner of the premier Finca Robaina cigar producer posted photos on social media of wood-and-thatch roofs smashed to the ground, greenhouses in rubble and wagons overturned.

“It was apocalyptic, a real disaster,” wrote Hirochi Robaina, grandson of the operation’s founder.

State media published photos showing water flowing through the town of San Juan y Martinez. The western provinces of Pinar del Rio and Artemisa were without power.

Local government station TelePinar reported heavy damage at the main hospital in Pinar del Rio city, tweeting photos of collapsed ceilings, toppled trees and debris flung about its property. No deaths were reported.

NewsAmericasNow.com