Jordanian PM chairs higher council of civil defense meeting

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Saturday chaired a meeting of the Higher Council of Civil Defense to discuss preparations by government agencies to deal with the winter season.
Ensour told the meeting, held at the Civil Defense Directorate, that he was proud of the performance of emergency response teams of various agencies during last year's severe weather, as no major accidents or loss of life had been recorded.
He praised the awareness of Jordanian society "that acted in a civilized and quiet manner" and added that such behavior had helped the agencies concerned to carry out their tasks unhindered.
"We need not caution Jordanian citizens as they are the most aware and educated while cooperating with the state authorities in extraordinary circumstances," he told the meeting.
He said all state agencies, both civic and military, had competed to serve the country during the harsh weather conditions over the past two years, noting that the civil defense department and other bodies had been provided with modern equipment to ensure the provision of optimal and advanced services.
The prime minister urged all authorities to take precautions during the harsh weather, urging governors and local administrators to be fully ready to address emergencies in their own regions.
He also stressed the close cooperation between the army and security forces, the ministry of municipal affairs and municipalities across the country to assign responsibilities and duties to each authority.
The prime minister said that his government had questioned electricity companies for the shortcomings in their response during last year's blizzard and had referred one of the cases to the judicial authorities, demanding that those companies put in place systems to operate in such conditions.
"I put on the yellow light for power companies this year to take the necessary measures to ensure that no power outages occur for the citizens, or they will be subject to accountability," he said.
Ensour also urged the meteorology department to ensure that forecasts are as accurate and credible as possible and to issue early warnings to the official departments concerned during the harsh weather in order to give citizens ample time to buy what they need and avoid overcrowding.