SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — With only 22 of the parish’s 76 designated emergency shelters so far approved for use, insufficient shelter managers, concerns about inadequate funding for drain cleaning, and many victims of Hurricane Melissa still struggling, Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar Danree Delancy is warning that Westmoreland is not prepared for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.

The situation is particularly dire in eastern Westmoreland, which suffered some of the most severe damage during the passage of last October’s Category 5 storm and currently has the fewest approved shelters.

“The reality is that Westmoreland is far from ready,” Delancy told the Jamaica Observer after Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC).