The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is calling on private contractors with tipper and compactor trucks to assist with the removal of bulky waste and garbage buildup across western Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. Executive Director of the NSWMA, Audley Gordon, made the call while addressing a press briefing at WPM Waste Management Limited’s headquarters in Ironshore,...

Carnival Corporation’s Holland America docked at the Ocho Rios cruise port in St. Ann on Tuesday (November 11), making a resumption of operations since the facility suffered storm-surge damage in February 2024. The vessel, with nearly 3,000 passengers and crew, brought relief supplies for victims of Hurricane Melissa. Members of the crew joined clean-up efforts in nearby communities. Residents, business...

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Commander Alvin Gayle, says 88 shelters remain operational across nine parishes, currently housing approximately 1,100 citizens, two weeks after the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28. The hurricane displaced approximately 30,000 households and inflicted damage on more than 130,000 buildings, ranging from partial roof loss to complete...

Mayor of Kingston, Councilor Andrew Swaby, says the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Company is working to restore power to Corporate Area communities that have been without the utility since the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28. Approximately 6,160 customers in Kingston and St. Andrew remained without electricity as of Monday (November 10), he reported. Mayor Swaby said that the...

Between October 29 and November 10, Jamaica’s airports collectively facilitated 1,138 flights in support of commercial travel and coordinated humanitarian operations across the island in response to Hurricane Melissa. These included 499 commercial passenger flights, 369 cargo, relief, and military flights, and 270 private flights. “Of these, Norman Manley [International Airport in Kingston] accounted for 578, while Sangster [International Airport...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is engaging additional trucks and contractors as the agency works to clear the increase in garbage across the island, says Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie. He noted that the debris caused by Hurricane Melissa has added to the regular residential and commercial waste, and teams across the island...

The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) is reporting that electricity has been restored for approximately 300,000 customers, representing 64 per cent of its service base across sections of the island, in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. “This is a solid milestone, given the scale of destruction that we have all seen,” stated President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Hugh Grant,...