Government has allocated $50 million to the National Works Agency (NWA) to implement mitigation measures for the 2014 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. Communications Manager at the NWA, Stephen Shaw, said that $20 million of the amount will be spent in the South Eastern parishes of Jamaica -- St Catherine, Kingston and St Andrew and St Thomas. “In the South, which is Clarendon, Manchester and St Elizabeth, we are spending $10 million and so too in the North East and in the West,” Shaw said at the launch of Disaster Preparedness Month held at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Kingston Tuesday. Shaw said mitigation activities will start by the end of this week, with instructions already being given to the parish teams to start working. “So, when you drive around the country over the next couple of weeks, you should be seeing activities, such as drain cleaning mostly taking place throughout the island. We intend to have these activities wrapped up within a month. So, we should be finished with the $50 million programme by the end of June.” For his part, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Noel Arscott, said that so far Local Authorities have spent $150 million on drain cleaning works in some communities from as early as April. He also noted that because the Government is not yet in a position to build shelters, they have asked the schools to provide space to persons who may be in need of shelter during a storm. “I wish to thank those schools which have partnered with us over the years. Some schools might have to be called upon once again to render some assistance and I hope they will be willing to do so again,” Arscott said. He also urged people who may have to seek shelter, particularly in schools, to ensure that the facility is kept in best order.