Post-Hurricane Melissa recovery: Pres Ali, Caricom leaders in Jamaica for high-level recovery mission

…Guyana to provide roofs for 200 damaged homes
President Dr Irfaan Ali is among several Caribbean Community (Caricom) Heads of Government who arrived in Jamaica on Monday as part of a high-level Goodwill Mission conducting a post-Hurricane Melissa assessment across some of the island’s hardest-hit communities. The delegation was received by Jamaica’s Prime Minister and current Caricom Chair, Andrew Holness, and includes the PMs of Barbados, Grenada, and Antigua and Barbuda, along with senior officials from Caricom, the Development Bank of Latin America, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and other regional and international partners. Speaking with the media following a walkabout, President Ali committed that Guyana would provide materials, manpower, and other resources to provide roofs for 200 damaged homes.

The visit represents a unified demonstration of regional solidarity as Caricom leaders join multilateral institutions in supporting Jamaica’s recovery efforts following the devastating Category 5 storm. Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall on October 28, left a trail of destruction across the island, with western parishes bearing the brunt of the storm’s fury. Entire communities were submerged as the Barnett, Pye and Montego Rivers overflowed, inundating sections of Montego Bay and crippling businesses, homes, roads, and public infrastructure.
The high-level team toured severely-impacted locations in St James, Westmoreland and St Elizabeth. Planned stops include the communities of Westgreen and Catherine Hall, two areas still reeling from the widespread flooding and structural damage inflicted by the hurricane.

Monday’s tour aimed to give regional leaders a first-hand understanding of the scale of the humanitarian and infrastructural crisis, while informing urgent discussions on coordinated recovery, reconstruction financing, and long-term climate resilience. The official visit follows strong statements of unity from Caricom Governments, several of which have already mobilised supplies, technical expertise, and financial support to assist Jamaica. PM Holness, in his capacity as Caricom Chair, has stressed the vital importance of regional cooperation and global partnerships in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, and as such Monday’s engagement is expected to shape a broader recovery framework focusing on housing rehabilitation, infrastructure repair and community support across the hardest-hit parishes.
Guyana has already deployed humanitarian aid to Jamaica; however, mechanisms are being put in place for greater support. Earlier in the month, Guyana had dispatched its first shipment of essential equipment and materials to aid in the immediate recovery and humanitarian response efforts in Jamaica. The Guyana Government, through the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) in coordination with key national agencies and Private Sector partners, has supplied critical items to the island nation including generators, tarpaulins, and chainsaws to support immediate response efforts on the ground. Additionally, emergency supplies including food hampers, medical kits, water purification tablets, and hygiene essentials were dispatched to affected communities, while technical personnel from the CDC conducted rapid needs assessments and helped coordinate humanitarian efforts. A team of transmission and distribution specialists from the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) was also deployed to assist with restoring electricity on the island. Meanwhile, ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) provided on-the-ground support in distributing relief items.