PERC Project Launched

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has devised The Preparedness and Emergency Response Corps (PERC), a project involving the training of 100 young persons to help the country return to normalcy in the event of hurricane destruction. Phase one of the project will see the training of 100 Cadets in preparation for the 2009 Hurricane Season which begins on June 1. In his role as the Minister of Disaster Management, Prime Minister Golding has mandated ODPEM to spearhead the PERC project.

“It is critical that our young people are encouraged to develop a spirit of nationalism and of contributing to their country’s development.  It is to them that the mantle of leadership will be passed, so learning to serve meaningfully now is a fine way to begin”  the PM said.  

Hurricanes and tropical storms damage property, structures, livestock and may take human lives. Their ill effects often cost Jamaica billions of dollars. Those amounts, diverted into restoration efforts instead of projects and programmes of development, retard the country’s growth. The PERC project should not only establish patterns of service but also help to speed hurricane recovery and ease expenditure.