00:00After conducting both aerial and underground assessments in Falmouth, one of several areas in Jamaica severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa,
00:10Prime Minister Andrew Ellis on Saturday expressed gratitude to the medical teams working tirelessly there in the aftermath of the storm.
00:19Reuters reported that at least 19 people lost their lives in Jamaica as a result of the hurricane.
00:25It is unfortunate I've heard of deaths subsequent to the passage of the storm, not having to do directly with the storm,
00:34but I'm told, Minister, that persons have been poisoned by carbon monoxide from the use of the generators.
00:43I take this opportunity to encourage everyone who is going to be using a generator to do so very carefully.
00:51Leave it outside, and if you don't need it, then don't leave it running.
00:57In a Facebook post, the Prime Minister Ellis said his administration's immediate priority is to restore electricity and telecommunications
01:04and to ensure that essential services, particularly at the Falmouth Hospital, are stabilized.
01:10In a post on the social media platform X, Prime Minister Kamala Pesad-Besessa announced
01:15that medical supplies from Trinidad and Tobago were sent to Jamaica on a Caribbean Airlines flight on Friday
01:21and an initial coup from TNTech, the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission,
01:26departed for Jamaica on Friday to conduct an assessment.
01:29Prime Minister Pesad-Besessa said a larger team will be sent to assist in restoring power lines.
01:34As she also said, she was grateful to receive the letter Jamaica's High Commissioner wrote
01:39conveying on behalf of the government and people of Jamaica, quote,
01:44sincere appreciation for the swift and exemplary support extended by the government
01:49and people of Trinidad and Tobago in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, end quote.
01:54The High Commissioner noted Prime Minister Pesad-Besessa's, quote,
01:56message of compassion and personal affinity for Jamaica
02:00resonate profoundly with our people at this difficult time, end quote.
02:05In the letter to Prime Minister Pesad-Besessa,
02:07the High Commissioner said Jamaica is deeply grateful
02:10for the comprehensive composition of the initial consignment of items
02:14that directly align with priority needs on the ground.
02:18Jamaica's High Commissioner said the High Commission also recognized
02:21what it called the pivotal role of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association
02:26and added, quote,
02:27this effective collaboration among government, industry and civil society
02:32stands as a model of partnerships in crisis, end quote.
02:36The High Commissioner expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Pesad-Besessa's acknowledgement
02:40of the leadership of Prime Minister Allness
02:43and Prime Minister Pesad-Besessa's encouragement of regional partners
02:47to sustain this collective effort.
02:50Jamaica's inter-ministerial team, the High Commissioner added,
02:54stands ready to continue close coordination with Trinidad and Tobago.
02:58Prime Minister Pesad-Besessa said on X that
03:00Trinidad and Tobago will continue to lend the support to Jamaica
03:04and other nations impacted by Hurricane Melissa.
03:08Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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