Byron Blake | People of western Jamaica at the risk of abandonment

April 28, was six months since the deadly Category 5 Hurricane Melissa flattened Western Jamaica. The response with emergency aid was remarkable. Ordinary Jamaicans and NGOs (local and abroad), the Government, the Opposition, businesses, Churches and people of faith, bilateral and multilateral agencies, and the Diaspora all rallied to ease the suffering with urgency and in a spirit of genuine humanity.

While we now know that the expenditure by the Government was less than 2 percent of the amount received, tonnes of gifts have rotted, dumped, or are still languishing on wharves or in warehouses, and, unprecedentedly, there is no planning or coordinating centre in the extensive disaster area, the story was worth telling.

Fast forward six months, and the fundamental condition of a large portion of the people has changed little. The panic and fear in the immediate aftermath are slowly giving way to resigned despondency.

Among the causes are limited assistance, especially of building materials; lack of information and absence of consultation; and above all, ignorance of the government’s plans, particularly those so definitively announced by the Prime Minister, in his budget presentation.

This article is written with knowledge of the situation in St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland, and visiting the two parishes. I am from there and have family and friends living there.

Why the conclusion that these people and communities are on the brink of abandonment?

First, we are days away from the official 2026 hurricane season. Attention and resources will shift to what is considered newsworthy. This is where the 2026 budgetary resources for disaster preparation-river training, gully cleaning, and garbage collection- will go. That is where ministers and members of parliament will go to make announcements, and the media for their news stories.

Second, consumers in the East are again getting their farm produce in quantities, in cases, at bargain prices. There is no longer a sense of crisis in the West. There is little in the news cycle except for the occasional blocking of roads, a Jamaican staple. The decision makers no longer feel any pressure.

Third, the Government’s public claim of receiving US$6.8 billion from five multilateral financial institutions, in addition to US$1 billion from voluntary contributions directed through governmental channels, has raised questions in the minds of many persons outside of Jamaica about the need for further assistance. Even relatives abroad have been asking, “What happened to all the money the government gave you”? 

Fourth, a new organisation, the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), might be a legal body before this is read. It “will drive reconstruction efforts across the country following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa last October”.

The Act was passed in both Houses without consultation with the people of the affected parishes and over the objections of Opposition members and NGOs with disaster management experience. NaRRA will drive the reconstruction of a programme either to be developed or one developed without the involvement of, or consultation with, the people of the affected communities. It could be based nearly a hundred miles from the nearest affected communities. Our experience of over 50 years is that effective post-disaster management and reconstruction require confidence, trust, and collaboration, derived in large measure from early involvement, closeness, and empathy. 

There are many organisations, including Chambers of Commerce and parish councils, businesspersons and property owners, and individuals who have been eagerly awaiting opportunities for information and consultation. There is a risk that, given the elapsed time since the passage of Hurricane Melissa, a remotely-located and time-bound NaRRA, could find consultations inconvenient.

Fifth, the people of Western Jamaica were hit by a natural phenomenon whose intensity and destructive force were significantly man-induced. The Countries most responsible have known and have undertaken for over 30 years to modify their behaviour. But every year, they made the situation progressively worse. The World’s most revered climate and environmental scientists have highlighted the potential catastrophic consequences of their continued reckless behaviour. But they have persisted. Four months before Hurricane Melissa struck, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an Advisory Opinion warning, inter alia, that “if countries fail to take measures to protect the planet from climate change they could be in violation of international law…. countries harmed by climate change could be entitled to reparations for the damage they have suffered from rising global temperatures…”.

This issue was highlighted in an earlier article on January 4, article in The Gleaner, and the honorable Prime Minister and the Ministers of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Environment, by hand-delivered letters. For transparency, the letter was also brought to the attention of the Leader of the Opposition.

Three of Jamaica and the Caribbean’s most prominent experts in international law have independently addressed the issue. All have agreed that (i) it is an issue that needs to be pursued, and that (ii) Jamaica and the Caribbean have the legal and other expertise to provide the necessary documentation and advice to Governments.

The Leader of the Opposition spoke to the issue in his 2026 Budget presentation. But it is the Government that has the authority to act. If the Jamaican Government fails to pursue this case, it would have abandoned the people of Western Jamaica. Further, it would set a precedent that future Jamaican and other Small Island Developing States will find difficult to overcome in future occurrences. 

We are guaranteed other powerful storms as the major polluters secured at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the right to pollute. But they might not be as clear and direct as superstorm Hurricane Melissa.

Ambassador Byron Blake is the former deputy permanent representative of Jamaica to the United Nations and former assistant secretary general of CARICOM. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com