Prime Minister Urges Greater Private Sector Role in Hurricane Melissa Recovery Efforts
By: , December 19, 2025
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (fourth left), greets Kemtek Development and Construction Limited’s Chairman and Managing Director, Sylvester Tulloch, during Thursday’s (December 18) ceremony for the handover of building supplies to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM). The presentation was made at Kemtek’s warehouse at Oak Estate in Greater Bernard Lodge, Portmore, St. Catherine. Also participating are (from left) Managing Director of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Omar Sweeney; Acting Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Mahatma Williams; ODPEM Senior Director of Mitigation Planning and Research, Michelle Edwards; and Kemtek Directors Garwin Tulloch, Handel Tulloch, and Karl Tulloch. The supplies, part of Kemtek’s $70-million Hurricane Melissa relief initiative, will aid communities in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Trelawny and St. James.
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (left), is shown lumber donated by Kemtek Development and Construction Limited in support of post-Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts, by Chairman and Managing Director, Sylvester Tulloch, during Thursday’s (December 18) handover ceremony at the entity’s warehouse at Oak Estate in Greater Bernard Lodge, Portmore, St. Catherine. The building supplies, part of Kemtek’s $70-million Hurricane Melissa relief initiative, will aid recovery efforts in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, and St. James.
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (left), converses with Chairman and Managing Director of Kemtek Development and Construction Limited, Sylvester Tulloch, following a ceremony on Thursday (December 18) for the handover of building supplies donated by the entity to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in support of post-Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts. The ceremony was held at Kemtek’s warehouse in Oak Estate, Greater Bernard Lodge, Portmore, St. Catherine. The supplies, part of Kemtek’s $70-million Hurricane Melissa relief initiative, will aid recovery efforts in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, and St. James.The Full Story
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is encouraging greater private-sector participation in the national recovery effort following Hurricane Melissa.
He made the call while speaking during Thursday’s (December 18) presentation of building supplies, valued $50 million, to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) by Kemtek Development and Construction Limited.
This contribution will support the rebuilding of roofs and homes across parishes most severely impacted by the hurricane, strengthening national recovery efforts and providing relief to affected families.
The handover ceremony was held at Kemtek’s warehouse in Oak Estate, Greater Bernard Lodge, Portmore, St. Catherine.
Prime Minister Holness commended the company and other corporate entities that have already extended support to vulnerable communities and individuals severely impacted by the recent hurricane.
He underscored, however, that the scale of need remains significant and urged additional partners to join in the national recovery effort.
“Many of our corporate entities have been contributing in their own way but I would, again, throw out the challenge, especially to those in construction, in real estate development, to make a contribution,” the Prime Minister said.
“Remember that the damage is estimated at approximately 150,000 residential housing solutions, of which about 40,000 would be severely damaged, if not totally destroyed. If you were to just do a rough calculation of the size of the households occupying these houses, you could be anywhere from 600,000 to 800,000 persons being impacted,” Dr. Holness added.
He explained that all donated building materials will be securely warehoused at ODPEM. Dr. Holness also advised that the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Corps of Engineers will undertake the construction and repair of homes.
The Prime Minister indicated that support for the rebuilding of homes is being provided by several African nations, including Ghana, Ethiopia and Rwanda, as well as Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partners such as Guyana, which has dispatched engineers and materials and is undertaking the reconstruction of 200 homes in eastern Westmoreland.
Kemtek’s $50-million contribution consists primarily of roofing materials, including various types and sizes of lumber, plyboards, nails of different lengths, zinc sheets, screws, bolts, and hurricane straps.
The donation forms part of the company’s $70-million relief budget, which is being directed towards assisting individuals affected by the hurricane in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, and St. James.
Meanwhile, Kemtek’s Chairman and Managing Director, Sylvester Tulloch, presented an outline of the relief initiative.
Coupled with the $50-million donation of building materials, the company has allocated an additional $15 million for emergency supplies.
These include weekly care packages distributed across Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, St. James and Trelawny, as well as water, zinc sheets, tarpaulins, and mattresses.
“What you see here today represents only a portion of the building materials we have secured. Additional supplies are already en route to the western parishes,” Mr. Tulloch stated.
He further expressed Kemtek’s commitment to rebuilding a basic school in Westmoreland, which company representatives observed had been completely submerged during a recent visit to the parish.