AIR JAMAICA ALERTS CUSTOMERS TO FLIGHT CHANGES DUE TO HURRICANE DEAN AND PROVIDES GUARANTEED TRAVEL PROGRAM

Kingston, Jamaica – August 20, 2007 – Air Jamaica has rescheduled many flights from various gateways in the US to Montego Bay Jamaica today, August 20, 2007 as the Donald Sangster International Airport has reopened after the passing of Hurricane Dean. The following are revised departure times to/from Montego Bay.  

To Jamaica:

JM Flight 10 - JFK to Montego Bay departed at 5:30 p.m.

JM Flight 18 - Newark to Montego Bay departed at 3:30 p.m.

JM Flight 34 - Fort Lauderdale to Montego Bay departed at 4:45 p.m.

JM Flight 40 - Baltimore to Montego Bay departed at 5:00 p.m.

JM Flight 44 - Philadelphia to Montego Bay departed at 4:30 p.m.

JM Flight 58 - Atlanta to Montego Bay departed at 5:30 p.m.

JM Flight 74 - Los Angeles to Montego Bay departing at 10:40 p.m. 

To U.S.:

JM Flight 11 - Montego Bay to JFK departing at 7:45 p.m.

JM Flight 35 - Montego Bay to Fort Lauderdale departing at 7:30 p.m.

JM Flight 41 - Montego Bay to Baltimore departing at 5:40 p.m.

JM Flight 45 - Montego Bay to Philadelphia departing at 6:40 p.m.

JM Flight 59 - Montego Bay to Atlanta departing at 7:00 p.m.

JM Flight 5009 (extra flight) – Montego Bay to JFK departing at 10:30 p.m.

 

Flights from New York/JFK to the Eastern Caribbean islands of Barbados and St. Lucia and from Ft. Lauderdale to Barbados today operated as scheduled.    

Air Jamaica has cancelled all flights today to and from the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. In addition to all Kingston flights, Air Jamaica has cancelled the following flights for Monday, August 20, 2007:

JM Flight 24 - Miami to Montego Bay and Kingston

JM Flight 70 - Chicago to Montego Bay

JM Flight 71 - Montego Bay to Chicago

JM Flight 75 - Montego Bay to Los Angeles

JM Flight 80 - Orlando to Montego Bay and Kingston

JM Flight 81 - Montego Bay to Orlando

JM Flight 93 - Montego Bay to St. Lucia

 

Further updates will be provided, as information becomes available regarding the status of Jamaica’s airports.

 

Guaranteed Travel Program

Air Jamaica has put measures in place to assist passengers whose travel plans may be affected by the hurricane. The airline encourages passengers with questions regarding their flights to visit www.airjamaica.com before calling the customer service hotline (phone number listed below).

 

Passengers who are holding tickets to/from Barbados, Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Grenada, Kingston, Montego Bay, Nassau and St. Lucia issued on/before August 16, 2007, for travel August 17 - 24, 2007 may change their itinerary without penalty subject to the following conditions:

Passengers must already be in possession of a ticket.

Passengers will be guaranteed the same fare as they were originally ticketed within the applicable fare parameters up to August 31, 2007. 

A request for deferral of travel must be made prior to departure of the original travel date.

Tickets with an expiry date during the above-mentioned period will be extended for travel up to August 31, 2007. Passengers are advised to keep a record of their locator number.

Passengers with totally unused tickets who elect not to travel will be issued a voucher for future travel on Air Jamaica for the full value of the ticket without penalty. The voucher will be valid for one year from the date of issue.  Passengers originating in the UK will be given a full refund without penalty.

Passengers are being asked to visit www.airjamaica.com or call Air Jamaica reservations for up-to-date information regarding your flight. 

In Jamaica: 1-888-FLY-AIR-J

In the USA, Canada or the Caribbean: 1-800-523-5585

In the UK: 0-208-570-5999

 About Air Jamaica

Air Jamaica provides more non-stop flights to Jamaica than any other carrier with more than 300 flights per week from Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York (JFK), Orlando, and Philadelphia in the United States; Toronto in Canada; and from London in the United Kingdom to Montego Bay and Kingston. Air Jamaica also offers daily non-stop service between New York (JFK) and Barbados and direct service between JFK to both St. Lucia and Grenada. Air Jamaica also offers intra-regional service with flights between Jamaica and the Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, Cuba, Curaçao, Grand Cayman, Grenada and St. Lucia.  Effective July 22 Air Jamaica offers the only nonstop flights from Fort Lauderdale to Barbados.

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Damage caused by Hurricane Dean - Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency

Management (ODPEM)
August 20, 2007


Parishes

St. Thomas: extensive damage has been reported from several communities.
Significant wind damage to roofs, storm surges, flooding, collapsed structures,
impassable roadways are among the many reports.

St. James: the community of Coral Gardens is severely affected by wind damage.

Kingston and St. Andrew: severe wind damage and downed power lines in the
Riverton city area. Also, a fallen tree caused the collapse of a residential
building in the Chambers Lane Area of Liguanea, St. Andrew.

Clarendon: flooding has been reported from the Denbigh gully.

Portland: several roadways in Port Antonio, Manchioneal, Mount James and Mount
Airy in Buff Bay are blocked.

St. Mary: several roadways from Junction to Broadgate are impassable, blocked by
fallen trees.

St. Catherine: storm surges have been reported along the Port Henderson road in
Portmore rendering the roadway impassable along with roof damage in the
communities of Naggo Head and Newland. The Newland Road is also impassable due
to a fallen utility pole. Additionally, sections of the roadway have been eroded
in Hellshire due to storm surges and rising water levels have been reported in
Old Harbour forcing the evacuation of several persons.


Services

Telecommunications: cellular telephone lines are down in sections of Portland,
St. Mary, and Clarendon and there is no communication link with St. Thomas with
efforts are underway to re-establish this.

Electricity: well over 125,000 Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) customers
are without power supply.

Water Supply: there have been reports of damage to water supply systems.

Source: Gleaner/Power 106 News

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Items requested by Jamaican Goverment for Hurricane Dean Relief  

This is the first set of items requested before the damage assessment has been done by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM)

non-perishable food items

batteries

flashlights

first aid kits

battery operated radios

We will be sending out drop off locations as soon as we get confirmation on this.

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Damage Assessment Underway, Foreign Govts Pledge Assistance

KINGSTON, Aug. 20 (JIS):

Monday, August 20, 2007

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (left), comforts singer, Shirley McLean-Brown, whose home in Caribbean Terrace, East Kingston, has been damaged by Hurricane Dean. Mrs. McLean-Brown's home was also severely damaged by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. The Prime Minister toured the area today (August 20).

Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller, has said that island-wide assessments are now underway to determine the extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Dean.

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (left), in discussion with Minister of Local Government and Environment, Dean Peart (right), and Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Desmond McKenzie during a tour of Caribbean Terrace in East Kingston that has been devastated by Hurricane Dean. The tour was done today (August 20).

Mrs. Simpson Miller, who was addressing a press briefing this morning (Aug. 20) at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Kingston, informed that representatives from a number of state agencies are out in the field, and come tomorrow (Aug. 21), 350 additional persons will be dispatched across the island.

Once this is done, she said, the country will be in a better position to determine what kind of relief is required.

In the meantime, she said that a number of foreign governments have signaled their intention to assist in the recovery effort. "I did indicate that the United States government and the United States Agency for International Development have started to give assistance from the preparation stage and they will continue. A large navy vessel will be coming into Jamaica as soon as possible," the Prime Minister said.

CARICOM is also standing by to provide assistance, with Trinidad and Tobago pledging to send financial aid by tomorrow. Relief supplies are also expected from the governments of Spain, Brazil, Venezuela and Canadian.

In addition to the usual food items, Mrs. Simpson Miller said she will be requesting that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade get in touch with ambassadors overseas to help with sourcing roofing material and housing assistance.

"I know most people will be sending food and water, medicine," she said, noting that residents of Portland Cottage in Clarendon and Caribbean Terrace in Kingston, whose homes were damaged as a result of the category four hurricane, will benefit from the donation of housing material.

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State of Public Emergency to Protect Life and Property - Justice Minister

KINGSTON, Aug. 20 (JIS):
Monday, August 20, 2007

The Hon. A.J. Nicholson Minister of Justice & Attorney General

Minister of Justice and Attorney General, A.J. Nicholson, has said that the state of public emergency issued last night (Aug. 19) by the Governor General, on the advice of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, is to ensure the protection of life and property of Jamaicans in the aftermath of Hurricane Dean.

"It is the duty of the government to protect," the Minister stressed in an interview with JIS News.
He explained that in circumstances where there is a threat of rioting and looting, then the Prime Minister is duty bound to ask the Governor General to give extra powers to the security forces and other authorities to enable them to prevent these occurrences. "This is to better enable the authorities to carry out their duties in these circumstances," he stated.

According to the Minister, the powers that are given to the authorities must be exercised only for the protection of life and property and "no rights are to be curtailed other than for the protection and preservation of life and property."

He noted for example, that persons may be prevented from going into a dangerous zone or a place that has been cut off, and if there is imminent threat or danger of looting or reasonable suspicion that this will take place, the security forces may curtail the movement of persons for specific periods.

The Minister pointed out however, that it is not only the security forces that are enabled during a state of public emergency, as agencies of government that have to clear roads, open up closed communities and get facilities and food to remote areas, are also given extra powers. "They may have to commandeer equipment that is owned by private citizens and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) will be able to get supplies to persons in a district that may be cut off," he said.

"It is in these circumstances that a state of pubic emergency is contemplated by the Jamaican Constitution; it is not a statement to the public that there is anything other than a hurricane having passed through," the Attorney General told JIS News.

Under the Constitution, the Governor General may issue a proclamation declaring a state of public emergency in certain circumstances, for example, where a hurricane is about to strike or has struck.

The proclamation, according to the Constitution, should be issued for one month. However, it may be revoked before the one-month period because the situation may change.

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STATEMENT BY THE MOST HON. PORTIA SIMPSON MILLER, REGARDING PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF PUBLIC EMERGENCY

Monday, August 20, 2007

Prime Minister of Jamaica Portia Simpson Miller

We are all aware that Hurricane Dean has severely affected Jamaica, where the safety of the public is likely to be endangered and the various communities within Jamaica may be deprived of supplies and services that are essential to life.

We are also aware that unfortunately, during and after past natural disasters, there have been widespread attempts at looting and other threats to public safety.

As Prime Minister, I have advised the Governor-General that a Proclamation should be issued by him declaring that a State of Public Emergency has arisen. The Governor-General has issued that Proclamation by virtue of his powers under Section 26 of the Constitution of Jamaica.

This Proclamation declares a State of Public Emergency commencing today, Sunday, August 19, 2007 in Jamaica and its territorial waters. In accordance with Section 26 of the Constitution this Proclamation is for a period of one (1) month, and can be revoked any time within that one -month period.

The situation will be reviewed beginning tomorrow with a view to bringing it to an end as soon as is feasible.

The Proclamation issued by the Governor-General will enable me and the appropriate authorities to act in a manner that will ensure that human life and property are protected and that damage to property is minimized.

In the exercise of their duties under these emergency powers, it is expected that all appropriate authorities, including members of the security Forces, will act in a manner that will ensure the full protection of the rights of all our citizens within the Jamaican family.