The Government will be reviewing and potentially overhauling the national emergency shelter system, with the aim of improving the standard of buildings designated as prescribed shelters during natural disasters. Speaking during Wednesday’s (November 19) press briefing on Hurricane Melissa recovery at Jamaica House, Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, emphasised that “there is no question in my mind...

The Social Development Commission (SDC) has launched a Temporary Accommodations Needs Assessment Survey across the six parishes severely affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa. The survey, commissioned by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development has three primary objectives – to provide an evidence-based report on the number of displaced families and individuals, to determine how many of...

More than 70,000 care packages have been distributed across St. James since the passage of Hurricane Melissa, as Government and relief partners intensify support to affected residents. Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, provided the update while addressing the ongoing humanitarian response across the parish. He was speaking to journalists after a follow-up meeting of the Emergency Operations Centre...

WPM Waste Management Limited will be intensifying operations to remove waste from communities across St. James, including the mini dump sites for hurricane debris. “In the coming days, you will see an increase in the operations whereby additional tipper trucks [and backhoes] have been engaged to be deployed to clean all the dump sites,” said WPM Regional Operations Manager, Dramaine...

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Commander Alvin Gayle, says that more than 115,000 relief packages have been delivered, to date, through the national system. He noted that the packages, including sanitisation and hygiene kits, have benefited 282 communities islandwide. “The national relief effort remains robust,” he said, noting that the agency continues to...

Hurricane Melissa damaged 156,000 dwellings across the parishes of St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Manchester, St. James, Trelawny and Hanover, with 24,000 being total losses. Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Commander Alvin Gayle, gave the update during a special press conference at Jamaica House on November 19. He reported that 97 emergency shelters remain active,...

The parishes of St. Elizabeth, St. James and Westmoreland experienced the worst impact from hurricane Melissa, accounting for US$5.5 billion in damage, says World Bank’s Country Director for the Caribbean, Lilia Burunciuc. The figure is 63 per cent of the total damage sustained across the island, which amounts to a record US $8.8 billion, she informed. Ms. Burunciuc was presenting...