The Jamaican authorities has urged residents to stop the unfold of misinformation throughout earthquakes and different pure disasters, which negatively affect the related authorities’ capability to help these in want of assist.
The island was rocked by a 5.4 magnitude earthquake early this morning, with the tremor’s epicenter about 2 miles (4 kilometers) west-northwest of Hope Bay in northeastern Jamaica, in line with the U.S. Geological Survey. It occurred at a shallow depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers).
No deaths have been reported and there was no main structural harm.
Nevertheless, a number of communities and public buildings on the jap facet of the island reported minor infrastructure harm, in line with Stewart Beckford, the Commissioner of the Jamaica Hearth Brigade.
Throughout a press convention this night, Beckford famous that Hearth Brigade groups visited a number of communities in Kingston and surrounding areas to conduct assessments of broken buildings. However regardless of the gravity of the state of affairs, Beckford stated the brigade was nonetheless receiving prank calls from residents referring to the earthquake.
“With all of this, we nonetheless have Jamaicans who’re making prank calls to the hearth brigade referring to the earthquake. We’d have had stories of buildings collapsing on Half Approach Tree Street, and after we turned up, it was false, and quite a few different calls across the company space that turned out to be pranks,” Beckford stated.
“I need to use this medium to ask the members of the general public to please desist from the follow of constructing prank calls. What it does is tie up assets which can be wanted elsewhere and makes our job that rather more troublesome,” he urged.
These sentiments have been echoed by Prime Minister Andrew Holness who stated the unfold of misinformation, particularly throughout occasions of disaster and catastrophe, negatively impacts Jamaicans who really need assistance.
“Misinformation is certainly part of our society. Some individuals might imagine it’s humorous, it’s a prank, some individuals might imagine it’s leisure, however it has an actual affect on the way it misdirects our assets,” Holness stated.
“Assets that would have been used to correctly determine and correctly assess and provides service to people who find themselves in want find yourself being misdirected as a result of we will’t take an opportunity as soon as somebody requires assist,” the Prime Minister added.
Aftermath of the earthquake
A number of aftershocks have been reported because the 5.6 tremor this morning, together with one a number of minutes previous to the publishing of this text. The Earthquake Unit on the College of the West Indies stated there have been over 20 aftershocks.
The main tremor resulted in meals, wine bottles, and different objects tumbling off the cabinets in grocery shops, and lots of residential and public buildings have reported structural harm.
The College of the West Indies and the New Kingston Purchasing Heart are among the many public buildings broken. Mayor of Kingston Delroy Williams additionally famous that a number of buildings in Downtown, Kingston, have been broken.
Many companies within the company space, together with banks, supermarkets, and tax workplaces, closed operations for the rest of the day. A number of faculties in jap Jamaica additionally dismissed early.
The Kingston Public Hospital reported an enormous improve in sufferers affected by bronchial asthma assaults and panic assaults. Different emergency circumstances additionally confirmed up on the hospital.
