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Employees of Hah-R-Mony Entertainment Limited assist with post-Hurricane Melissa cleanup efforts in Montego Bay, St. James.

Corporate Volunteers Support Montego Bay’s Post-Hurricane Recovery Efforts

Employees of Hah-R-Mony Entertainment Limited, Jamaica’s largest entertainment company, joined cleanup efforts in Montego Bay, St. James, on October 31. The Category Five cyclone made landfall on October 28, unleashing widespread damage and disruption across several parishes—most notably in St....

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Hon Christopher Tufton (left), consults with Acting Permanent Secretary, Kadian Birch, and Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Representative to Jamaica, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands, Ian Stein, during a press conference held on Saturday (November 1) at the Health Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) on Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston. The briefing addressed the status of the public health system following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Primary Care Centres Mobilised to Support Post-Hurricane Health Recovery

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, addresses a media briefing on Hurricane Melissa recovery activities at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices on Saturday (November 1).

Health Ministry Urges Citizens to Observe Safe Water Consumption Practices

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, addresses journalists during a media briefing on Hurricane Melissa recovery activities, at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices on Saturday (October 1).

Post-hurricane Food Safety Inspections Being Undertaken Across Affected Parishes

Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, addressing Saturday’s (Nov. 1) press conference at the Ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre in New Kingston.

Cleanup of Hospitals Impacted by Hurricane Melissa on Sunday

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, addresses journalists during Saturday’s (November 1) press briefing on Hurricane Melissa recovery activities, held at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices.

3 months ago Health & WellnessHurricane MelissaHurricane Relief & Recovery

Health Ministry Appeals for Blood Donations to Support Post-hurricane Trauma Care

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is appealing to members of the public to donate blood in support of trauma care needs arising in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. Persons wishing to donate blood may do so at the National Chest Hospital in Kingston and the Spanish Town Hospital in St. Catherine between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., and at...

Fishermen at the Ocho Rios Fishing Village assist in getting a boat back into the water following the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28.

3 months ago Hurricane MelissaHurricane Relief & RecoveryLocal Government

St. Ann Emergency Team Fully Engaged in Hurricane Melissa Response

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...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, addresses a press conference held at the Ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre in Kingston on Saturday (Nov. 1).

3 months ago Health & WellnessHurricane MelissaHurricane Relief & Recovery

Field Hospital to Be Deployed to Black River

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 (right), examines food supplies donated by nonprofit organisation, Global Empowerment Mission (GEM). The supplies, handed over on Friday (October 31), will support 50 residents at the Desmond McKenzie Transitional Centre for the Homeless in downtown Kingston. Looking on are Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Andrew Swaby (left), and Founder/President of GEM, Michael Caponi

3 months ago Hurricane MelissaHurricane Relief & RecoveryLocal Government

PHOTOS: Global Empowerment Mission Donation

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, outlines the extent of damage to several municipal buildings in western parishes during Hurricane Melissa’s passage, while providing an update at a media briefing on Thursday (October 30) at Jamaica House.

3 months ago Hurricane MelissaLocal Government

Municipal Buildings in Western Parishes Severely Damaged by Hurricane Melissa

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...

Power lines in Esher, Hanover, downed during Hurricane Melissa’s passage on October 28.

3 months ago EnergyHurricane MelissaHurricane Relief & RecoveryTelecommunicationsWater

Hanover Residents Share Sobering Accounts of Survival After Hurricane Melissa

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,...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Dione Jennings (fourth left), listens as Deputy Director of Nursing Services at the Black River Hospital, Ingrid Stephens (third right), expresses gratitude for the donation of food, water and care packages to the patients and staff at the hospital by the Ministry along with its humanitarian assistance partners. The items were handed over at the hospital in St. Elizabeth on Thursday night (Oct. 30). From left are: Chief Technical Director in charge of Social Security in the Ministry, Audrey Deer Williams; Caribbean Country Director, World Food Programme (WFP), Brian Bogart; Chief Executive Officer at the Black River Hospital, Diana Brown-Miller; Acting Director for Disaster, Rehabilitation and Welfare Management in the Ministry, Jacqueline Shepherd; Food for the Poor Director in charge of operations and implementation, Nakhle Hado; and Acting Director for Disaster Rehabilitation and Welfare Management in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Suzette Morris.

3 months ago Hurricane MelissaHurricane Relief & RecoverySocial Security

Labour Ministry and Partners Provide Relief Items to Black River Hospital

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...