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Guyana to repair 200 roofs in hard-hit Jamaica
Nearly one million Jamaicans have been affected and more than 150,000 homes damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Melissa, prompting a major regional response led by Guyana, which has deployed the Guyana Defence Force engineers to repair 200 roofs in hard-hit Westmoreland.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness shared the updated figures during a high-level CARICOM tour on Monday, calling the destruction “significant and unprecedented.”
The storm has caused an estimated US$8 billion in physical losses, severely straining Jamaica’s recovery capacity.
From left: Inter-American Development Bank President Ilan Goldfajn, Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, Guyana President Irfaan Ali, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Jamaica Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley touring a section of Whitehouse, Westmoreland, on Monday to get a first-hand look at the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
Holness said Guyana’s engineering corps will work with the Jamaica Defence Force, members of parliament and local councillors to identify the first households for rapid roof replacement.
“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.”
Guyana President Irfaan Ali said the devastation in Westmoreland and St. James as indescribable, saying only an on-the-ground visit reveals the magnitude of the crisis.
“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 said Guyana will send additional manpower, equipment, food, water, tarpaulins, building supplies, chainsaws, generators and storage tanks as part of its wider relief mobilisation. The most urgent effort, he stressed, 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,” Ali said while speaking in Whitehouse, Westmoreland. “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 voiced strong support, 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 his country would provide financial assistance and deploy soldiers to support the relief effort. He encouraged Jamaicans to “soldier on” and rebuild with confidence.
“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,” said Browne.
Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell echoed Browne’s sentiments, saying Jamaica could 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.”
Mitchell said CARICOM had repeatedly demonstrated its ability to recover from major disasters and would remain at Jamaica’s side throughout the rebuilding process.
His comments came as Holness reaffirmed that disciplined fiscal management over the last decade had positioned Jamaica to galvanise international support quickly, even as the country faces massive revenue losses.
“Our financial situation is of great concern and must be managed carefully,” Holness said. “But today I see opportunity, to rebuild better, stronger, and to fix what was wrong in the first place.”
He assured residents that debris removal teams would be redeployed from St James to Whitehouse and Bluefields in Westmoreland within days, while modular homes are being procured for medium-term shelter.
The JDF has already set up a distribution hub to expand relief deliveries. Holness thanked residents for their patience: “If we work together, we can recover, just as we have before.” (Jamaica Gleaner).
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