Barbados and Guyana have announced major relief commitments to help Jamaica recover from Hurricane Melissa, pledging medical support, engineering expertise and critical equipment as the scale of the disaster becomes clearer.
Barbados is dispatching a fully equipped field hospital, expected to arrive on Thursday, along with additional garbage trucks to accelerate clean-up operations. Guyana has deployed Guyana Defence Force engineers to work alongside the Jamaica Defence Force and local authorities to repair 200 roofs in the hardest-hit areas of Westmoreland, part of a wider support package that includes manpower, food, water, tarpaulins, chainsaws, generators and storage tanks.
The pledges were highlighted during a high-level CARICOM visit on Monday, where leaders from Guyana, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada toured devastated communities from Montego Bay to Whitehouse, Westmoreland. The visit, supported by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and the Regional Security System, came as Jamaica revealed new figures showing that nearly one million people have been affected and more than 150,000 homes damaged or destroyed.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness described the destruction as “significant and unprecedented,” telling reporters that the storm has caused an estimated US$8 billion in physical losses, severely weighing on the country’s recovery capacity. “We estimate conservatively that about 900,000 Jamaicans have been impacted and roughly 150,000 homes destroyed,” Holness said. “Every aid given and every commitment made must quickly advance the recovery and make Jamaica stronger.”
Holness said Guyana’s engineering teams will coordinate with Jamaican counterparts, members of parliament and local councillors to identify the first households for roof replacement. He also noted that debris removal teams currently operating in St James will be redeployed to Whitehouse and Bluefields within days, while modular homes are being procured for medium-term shelter. A JDF distribution hub has already been established to scale up relief deliveries.
Guyana President Irfaan Ali, speaking after touring ravaged neighbourhoods in Westmoreland and St James, called the extent of the damage indescribable. “You have to be here to see this devastation. There are no words,” Ali said. “But the resilience and strength of the Jamaican people tell you everything about the Jamaican spirit.” He said the most urgent task is fast-tracking the first 200 roof repairs: “We want to move very quickly to have 200 roofs completely redone, starting right here in this community. Prime Minister Holness has set a tight schedule to get everyone under some form of shelter before Christmas, and we will support that fully.”
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne also expressed solidarity, calling Jamaica’s situation “significant” and urging residents to remain hopeful. “We’re here to stand in solidarity with Prime Minister Holness and the people of Jamaica,” Browne said. “We are not new to hurricanes – they are always disruptive – but what you are facing now is enormous. To hear that as many as 900,000 people have been affected is significant.” Browne said Antigua and Barbuda would provide financial assistance and deploy soldiers to help. “We are resilient as Caribbean people, and this, too, shall pass. We rebuilt Barbuda after Hurricane Irma, and today it is significantly better than before. Jamaica can rebuild bigger and better, too.”
Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell echoed that message, noting that Jamaica can count on the full support of the region. “We wanted to show our solidarity with the government and people of Jamaica because we understand the challenges you are going through; we have gone through them ourselves,” Mitchell said. “The support of our brothers and sisters in the region helped us to rebound, and we want to do the same for Jamaica.”
As the leaders concluded their tour, Holness said disciplined fiscal management over the past decade had helped Jamaica mobilise international support despite massive revenue losses. “Our financial situation is of great concern and must be managed carefully,” he said. “But today I see opportunity, to rebuild better, stronger, and to fix what was wrong in the first place.”
He thanked residents for their patience and said recovery efforts would intensify in the coming days. “If we work together, we can recover, just as we have before.”
