Nearly one million Jamaicans have been affected, and more than 150,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Melissa, triggering an expansive regional response led by Guyana. The country has already deployed Guyana Defence Force (GDF) engineers to begin repairing 200 roofs in hard-hit Westmoreland.
During a high-level CARICOM tour on Monday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness described the destruction as “significant and unprecedented,” noting that the hurricane caused an estimated US$8 billion in physical losses—far exceeding Jamaica’s immediate recovery capacity.
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Holness said the GDF engineering corps will work alongside the Jamaica Defence Force, members of parliament, and local councillors to identify the first households for rapid roof replacement.
“Every aid given and every commitment made must quickly advance the recovery and make Jamaica stronger,” he said.
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali, after visiting severely affected communities in Westmoreland and St James, said the devastation was 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.”
Ali announced that Guyana will send additional manpower, equipment, food, water, tarpaulins, building materials, chainsaws, generators and storage tanks to aid recovery. The immediate priority, he said, is completing the first 200 roof repairs.
“We want to move very quickly… 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 offered solidarity, calling the scale of destruction “enormous.”
“We’re here to stand in solidarity with Prime Minister Holness and the people of Jamaica,” Browne said. “We are not new to hurricanes, but what you are facing now is significant.”
Browne said Antigua and Barbuda will provide financial assistance and deploy soldiers to support relief efforts. He encouraged Jamaicans to rebuild with confidence:
“We rebuilt Barbuda after Hurricane Irma, and today it is significantly better. Jamaica can rebuild bigger and better, too.”
Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell echoed this sentiment, emphasizing CARICOM’s commitment to stand by Jamaica through the recovery journey.
“We understand the challenges you are going through; we have been through them ourselves,” Mitchell said. “The support of our brothers and sisters helped us rebound, and we will do the same for Jamaica.”
Holness said Jamaica’s disciplined fiscal management over the past decade has positioned the country to mobilize international support quickly, even as it faces substantial revenue losses.
“Our financial situation is of great concern,” he said. “But today I see the opportunity to rebuild better, stronger, and to fix what was wrong in the first place.”
He announced that debris removal teams would be redeployed from St James to Whitehouse and Bluefields in Westmoreland within days and that modular homes are being procured for medium-term shelter.
The Jamaica Defence Force has already established a distribution hub to increase the flow of relief supplies.
Holness thanked residents for their patience and resilience.
“If we work together, we can recover—just as we have before.”
