The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) reportedly racked up nearly $4 million in losses for relief items, due to its failure to replace defective storage units.

This was highlighted by the Auditor General’s Department (AGD) in a report tabled in Parliament, yesterday.

The AGD commissioned a performance audit to determine whether ODPEM was managing its resources effectively to advance Jamaica’s disaster preparedness and emergency management capabilities.

In relation to physical resource management, the Auditor General noted that failure to replace defective storage units affected the preservation of relief supplies from mould and pests.

The problem was reportedly observed by the AGD team during site visits from October 2023 to January 2024.

ODPEM subsequently reported $3.9 million in losses of relief items in April 2024.

The Auditor General also noted that despite identifying the need to replace the central air conditioning (AC) unit at its head office in 2019 and receiving $32.84 million for its procurement, ODPEM failed to replace the unit.

This resulted in funds remaining unused for more than five years and the head office closing for approximately two months in 2023 due to air quality challenges.