Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., has announced that the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), in partnership with international allies, has successfully executed multiple evacuation missions in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall on October 28. The hurricane’s passage caused widespread infrastructural damage, rendering many communities inaccessible due to floodwaters and debris. To date, 25...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has, so far, delivered hundreds of relief items and over 30,000 food packages to Jamaicans devastated by the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., who provided the update during a media briefing at Jamaica House on Monday (November 3), assured the public that the Ministry is working assiduously to...

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, says the decision to reopen schools will be made by school boards and principals, based on local conditions. “If you don't have water, you can't open school; that's a minimum. You have to have water to open schools. But then there may be other issues in...

Jamaica has received a  shipment of humanitarian and essential supplies to support citizens affected by the passage of category-five Hurricane Melissa. The delivery is the result of a coordinated effort involving the European Union (EU), France, the Netherlands, United Nations (UN) agencies, the French and Dutch Navies stationed in the Caribbean and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). The...

The Government will undertake a comprehensive review and restructuring of Jamaica’s disaster preparedness and response framework, in light of the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa on October 28. This was disclosed by Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie. “One lesson Melissa has taught us is that there can be something greater than Melissa, worse than...

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, has lauded the leadership and staff of schools severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa, noting that they have shown resilience in the face of significant damage and loss. “They are not just sitting down and that is why I say we have some of the best principals...

The police and community members have cleared debris from the roadway leading to the St. Catherine-based Guanaboa Vale Primary School, caused by the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28. During a community workday, today  (November 3), to restore normalcy in the aftermath of the storm, Head of the Guanaboa Vale Police, Sergeant Navelette Davis-Leachman, told JIS News in an...