Lead Stories

Micah Williams, tomato farmer from Flagaman in St Elizabeth, shows items used to shield him at his home during Hurricane Beryl in 2024.
December 9, 2025 by Adrian Frater

Toxic encounters

Western Bureau: Memories of last year’s devastating blow by Hurricane Beryl are still fresh, especially the major infrastructural damage, the multimillion-dollar hit on the farming section, and…
A section of a yard in Parottee, St Elizabeth, belonging to residents who have been still struggling to rebuild after last year’s onslaught from Hurricane Beryl.
December 9, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Storm-weary St Bess faces Melissa still reeling from Beryl

WESTERN BUREAU: More than a year after Hurricane Beryl ravaged Jamaica’s southern corridor, the residents of St Elizabeth remain locked in a prolonged struggle for recovery. Now, with Tropical Storm…
Louis Porter (left), Western Parks and Markets Limited’s senior public cleansing inspector for St James and Trelawny, and Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon address a media briefing at the St James Municipal Corporation on Thursday, following a meeting of
December 9, 2025

WPM pulls garbage trucks from neighbouring parishes to address St James’ waste backlog

WESTERN BUREAU: The National Solid Waste Management Authority’s (NSWMA) Western Parks and Markets Limited (WPM) has pulled several garbage trucks from neighbouring parishes to help clear the backlog…
Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon at a meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation.
December 9, 2025 by Christopher Thomas

Find a shelter if you are vulnerable, says MoBay mayor

WESTERN BUREAU: Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon has issued a stern warning to residents of flood-prone communities in St James to relocate if Tropical Storm Melissa impacts the parish and weather…
File photo.
December 9, 2025

JAA urges strict avoidance of flooded roadways as storm nears

With flooding expected to be a major consequence of Tropical Storm Melissa, due to heavy rainfall that could begin as early as this weekend, Owen Smith, general manager of the Jamaica Automobile…
News
December 9, 2025

Hurricane tips

The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) has urged all Jamaicans to take immediate steps to safeguard their health, property, and well-being as the country braces for the impact of Tropical Storm…
Munchun, a market vendor, speaks with The Gleaner in Coronation Market in downtown Kingston yesterday.
December 9, 2025 by Tanesha Mundle

Storm wary market vendors warn consumers to brace for price increase

With Tropical Storm Melissa now threatening sections of the island, vendors at Coronation Market in downtown Kingston are taking no chances, though not everyone is convinced the system will make a…
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness (second right) prays with his ministers (from left) Matthew Samuda, minister of water, environment and climate change; Pearnel Charles Jr, minister of labour and social security; Robert Morgan, minister without portfolio in
December 9, 2025 by Karen Madden

PM marshals monetary resources to mitigate potential impact of Melissa

With Tropical Storm Melissa projected to cause major damage to Jamaica’s infrastructure amid widescale flooding and landslides, the country is expected to be forced to draw on several monetary sources…
Naldy Edwards (left) and Donovan Edwards, coffee farmers in Mount Airy, St Andrew, express concerns about the fate of their unpicked coffee cherries in the field if Melissa hits the island as a tropical storm or hurricane this weekend.
December 9, 2025 by Sashana Small

Mount Airy coffee farmers rush harvesting ahead of storm

The approaching Tropical Storm Melissa has forced coffee farmers in Mount Airy, St Andrew, to speed up the harvesting of their coffee cherries in an attempt to minimise potential damage from the…