Rebuilding Together: Supporting Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa

The passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025, resulted in extensive damage across the parishes of St. Elizabeth, Clarendon, Trelawny, St. James, St. Ann, and Manchester.

In the storm’s wake, many Jamaicans at home and abroad, as well as the international community, remain eager to offer support. However, it is essential to use official channels and observe a few precautions.

Official Channel to Donate or Volunteer

The Official Disaster Relief and Recovery Portal is supportjamaica.gov.jm. This secure website allows you to:

• Donate funds via credit cards, wire transfers or make pledges
• Volunteer your time
• Report incidents
• View a list of urgently needed items

Aid from Overseas

General donations of food and other essentials being sent from overseas, were granted an emergency relief clearance tax waiver from October 29 to December 31, 2025 by the Jamaica Customs Agency. That date was extended to January 15, 2026. After this date, fees such as Import Duty (ID), General Consumption Tax (GCT), Standard Compliance Fee Customs (SFC), Customs Administrative Fee (CAF) will be charged on these items.

Importation of items for the relief effort are still being facilitated and persons wishing to donate can partner with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) or registered charities which can be verified by the Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies.

These partnerships will facilitate proper documentation and ensure that registered charities pay fewer custom fees. These charities are always exempt from GCT and only pay 50 per cent of the CAF.

Local Donations

Local entities or persons who wish to donate relief items should contact their member of parliament to arrange transfer or take them to the ODPEM or any of its approved drop-off locations.

Anyone who wishes to donate items to schools should contact the National Education Trust (NET) at info@net.org.jm, visit the website www.net.org.jm or the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information (MOESYI). Donations for the public health sector should be made by contacting the National Healthcare Enhancement Foundation, a charitable registered organisation or by visiting the website www.nhef.gov.jm.

Volunteering to Help

Anyone wishing to volunteer in any of the ongoing clean-up efforts should complete the registration form available at supportjamaica.gov.jm.

Precautions

Be careful when donating online. Fake websites claiming to collect funds for Hurricane Melissa relief have been discovered. To verify the authenticity of a website before making donations, ensure that you:

• Verify the URL – the official site ends in gov.jm (NOT .com, .net, or .org)
• Type the address directly into the search bar and do not click links in unsolicited emails or social media messages.
• Ensure that the site shows “https://” and a padlock icon.
• Do some research before responding too quickly to requests as scammers can create urgency.

For additional information contact:

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM)
2-4 Haining Road, Kingston
Tel: 876-906-9674-5/876-754-9077-8
Emergency Hotline: 888-225-637
Email: odpem@cw.jamaica
Website: www.odpem.org.jm
Facebook: ODPEM.JA
Instagram: ODPEM
X: @odpem