The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), through its Ports Division, has been providing critical support to the island’s major airports and seaports as recovery efforts continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. Head of the JCF Ports Division, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Stephanie Lindsay, told JIS News that the police have been working closely with key partners at Norman Manley...

The Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) and the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ), in coordination with the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), are urgently appealing for volunteer medical personnel to assist at the Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth, which was severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa. The call is for volunteer doctors who are willing to undertake 28 to 48-hour...

Several tourists, who were on the island during the passage of Hurricane Melissa, are expressing their appreciation for Jamaica’s warmth and hospitality during the period. The rare category-five system made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday (October 28), leaving a trail of destruction, with Montego Bay being among the hardest hit areas. Days before, as the island began to experience the...

With thousands of citizens still without electricity following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is urging persons to avoid the use of candles or other sources of open flame. “You have some candles that are battery powered; you can get those. But candles that give off naked flames, those can come into contact with material such...

The parish of St. Thomas is currently on the rebound, after being impacted by Hurricane Melissa earlier this week. Chief Engineering Officer at the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation, Odel Felix, told JIS News that all parochial roads suffered damages, in addition to there being landslides, fallen trees, and fallen utility poles. Currently, many residents are without electricity and water following...

As national recovery efforts continue following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, the number of Jamaicans remaining in emergency shelters has declined to approximately 13,000 – a significant reduction compared to previous days. Speaking during a media briefing at Jamaica House on Thursday (October 30), Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, reported that of the more than...

The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has dedicated a helicopter to locate and coordinate the collection of bodies in the aftermath of category-five Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Jamaica on October 28. The disclosure was made by Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, during Thursday’s (October 30) Special Press Briefing at Jamaica...