National After-Action Review on Hurricane Melissa Response Under Way

Over the next three days, representatives of Jamaica’s national disaster response and coordination mechanism, together with external partners, will convene for the National After Action Review (AAR) of the Hurricane Melissa Response, 2025.

The AAR will assess key strengths, highlight best practices, identify operational challenges and gaps, and generate actionable recommendations to strengthen alignment with national protocols and enhance overall effectiveness.

The findings will guide efforts to strengthen Jamaica’s emergency management system, enhance interoperability among stakeholders, and support continuous improvement of national preparedness and response capacities.

Speaking during Monday’s (May 4) opening ceremony at the S Hotel in New Kingston, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Ambassador Rocky Meade, said the recommendations will guide the State in building greater resilience to events that could negatively impact the country.

“We want to be able to respond to all activities, be they natural, be they man-made, be they from microorganisms, be they cyber. What we are seeking to build out, in a resilient way, is a mechanism for defence and continuity of governance of the State to treat with any eventuality that could impact the continuity of governance of the State,” he noted.

Ambassador Meade pointed out that while this activity is required after a major event such as Hurricane Melissa, “the outcomes we are hoping to get from you, with your help, are things that can be applied to anything that could impact the State negatively”.

He urged participants to broaden the recommendations so they can be applied to any challenge that threatens the State and the continuity of governance.

“The Government of Jamaica wants to ensure that the sovereignty of the State is protected from all eventualities, that we can continue functioning under all circumstances, and that we’re going to have a resilient system that can treat with anything. The pulling in of defence fully and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to the Office of the Prime Minister is a deliberate signal that this is our approach to the defence of the State.

“So while you’re going to be looking at the facts of Hurricane Melissa and the facts of what we did well and the facts of what we did not do so well, expand the recommendations so that we can apply them to anything that could challenge the State and continuity of governance,” Ambassador Meade said.

The review will evaluate the effectiveness of preparedness measures, coordination arrangements, information management, resource mobilisation, and operational decision making throughout the response.

Attention will focus on the application of early warning systems, anticipatory actions, inter agency coordination, and the efficiency of response and early recovery operations, in keeping with the National Disaster Response Coordination Plan (NDRCP) objective of ensuring a coordinated and timely national response.

The review is being led by ODPEM, in collaboration with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), with support from the Building Resilience in the CARIFORUM States (BRICS) Programme.

The National After Action Review of the Hurricane Melissa Response, 2025 is scheduled to conclude on May 6.

Category Five Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on October 28, 2025, causing catastrophic damage across sections of the island.

Total damage and losses are estimated at J$1.952 trillion (US$12.2 billion), equivalent to 56.7 per cent of Jamaica’s 2024 gross domestic product.