Mayor of St Ann’s Bay, Councillor Michael Belnavis, says the St. Ann Parish Emergency Operations team—assembled and mobilised ahead of Hurricane Melissa’s arrival—is now fully engaged in assessment and response activities. He told JIS News that while it is still too early to quantify the full extent of the hurricane’s impact, preliminary reports indicate that the damage across the parish...

A field hospital is scheduled to arrive within the next 24 hours for deployment to Black River, St. Elizabeth. The facility will support healthcare delivery in the parish following the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which caused significant damage to the Black River Hospital. Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, made the disclosure on Saturday (Nov. 1),...

   

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says several municipal buildings in western parishes sustained extensive damage during Hurricane Melissa’s passage on October 28. He made the disclosure during Thursday’s (October 30) press briefing at Jamaica House. “I was able, [on Thursday], to make contact with the Mayor of Falmouth, and it is not a pretty reading...

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, residents of Hanover are sharing profound stories of heartbreaking loss, survival and resilience. The Category Five hurricane that struck Jamaica on October 28 has been described as one of the most intense cyclones in the country’s recorded history. The system unleashed widespread destruction across multiple parishes—flattening homes, uprooting trees, and cutting off electricity, water,...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, along with some of its major humanitarian assistance partners, have distributed food, water and care packages to patients and staff of the Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth. The facility suffered significant damage during the passage of Hurricane Melissa, with the administrative block losing its roof. Patients and staff were unharmed. Permanent Secretary...

Both commercial and relief operations remain active at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, which has facilitated the arrival of multiple cargo flights in support of post-Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts. Among these are 20 cargo flights which were scheduled to arrive on Friday (October 31). This was announced by Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, Hon. Daryl Vaz, who noted...