WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — CARICOM leaders on Monday pledged sweeping regional support for Jamaica as the country confronts what Prime Minister Andrew Holness has described as “significant and unprecedented” devastation from Hurricane Melissa, which has affected nearly one million people and caused an estimated US$8 billion in physical losses.
The delegation — including the heads of government of Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and Guyana, along with leaders of major development institutions — toured heavily impacted communities in Westmoreland and St James to assess the scale of destruction and coordinate an international relief strategy.
Holness said approximately 150,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, placing enormous pressure on the island’s recovery resources.
“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.”
Leaders from across the region expressed solidarity and promised sustained support.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne called the figures “enormous,” urging Jamaicans to remain hopeful.
“We rebuilt Barbuda after Hurricane Irma, and today it is significantly better than before,” Browne said. “Jamaica can rebuild bigger and better, too.”
Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said the region has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to recover from major natural disasters.
“The support of our brothers and sisters in the region helped us to rebound, and we want to do the same for Jamaica,” he said.
Guyana’s intervention — the reconstruction of 200 roofs and deployment of engineering teams — was highlighted as the first major operational relief effort by any regional government.President Irfaan Ali said Guyana would provide additional equipment, manpower and supplies to accelerate early recovery.
Representatives from the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the Development Bank of Latin America and CARICOM also joined the tour and signaled readiness to support financing for Jamaica’s rebuilding programme.
Holness said debris removal teams would be redeployed to the worst-hit communities within days, while the Jamaica Defence Force has established a major distribution hub to expedite relief deliveries.
“If we work together, we can recover, just as we have before,” he said, thanking residents for their resilience and patience. (Source: Jamaica Gleaner)