标签： Jamaica

Educational institutions across Jamaica’s Westmoreland parish are demonstrating remarkable resilience as they welcome students back following the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa. Despite widespread infrastructure damage from the October Category 5 storm, school administrators have developed innovative strategies to ensure continuous education.

At Savanna-la-Mar Primary School, where nine classrooms were completely destroyed, Principal Megan Berry has spearheaded the creative repurposing of non-traditional spaces. The computer laboratory, library, and multi-purpose hall have been transformed into makeshift classrooms to accommodate all grade levels. ‘We are ready to accept the full complement, but we had to be creative in doing so,’ Berry stated, emphasizing that no structural repairs have yet been completed since the hurricane struck.

The situation appears equally challenging at Mount Airy Primary and Infant School, located in the Negril hills, which lost approximately 80% of its roofing. Although initial repairs have commenced, the extensive damage requires complete reconstruction of several structures. With over 520 students enrolled, the school has implemented a sophisticated shift system to manage limited space and furniture availability. Guidance counselor Lelieth Murdock explained the detailed scheduling: ‘Grade six will attend Mondays through Fridays, grades four and five will come Mondays to Wednesdays, while the infant department through grade three will attend Thursdays and Fridays.’

In rural Williamsfield, administrators have employed tarpaulin coverings as temporary protection for damaged buildings—a common sight throughout the parish. Principal Shawn Clarke highlighted the urgent need for assistance with repairs, furniture, and educational materials after the storm destroyed textbooks, learning aids, writing boards, student and teacher furniture, electrical systems, and roofing structures.

Amid these challenges, Little London Primary School represents a beacon of hope with electricity recently restored and minimal hurricane damage, allowing full student attendance without requiring shift systems. The collective response across Westmoreland demonstrates the education sector’s determination to maintain learning continuity despite significant obstacles.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa’s devastating passage, Jamaican agricultural authorities are issuing an urgent appeal to citizens to assist in preserving the nation’s critically important bee populations. These vital pollinators suffered substantial habitat displacement and resource depletion during the recent extreme weather event.

Francine Webb, Senior Plant Health and Food Safety Officer at Jamaica’s Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), emphasized the ecological crisis unfolding within the insect ecosystem. The hurricane’s destruction of flowering plants has created severe nutritional shortages for bee colonies across the island, threatening their survival and recovery.

Webb provided practical guidance for public assistance, noting observations of citizens already providing sugar-water solutions to starving bees. “When you encounter bee swarms, understand they’re not displaying aggression but desperately seeking nourishment,” she explained to JIS News. “These insects pose no threat to humans when approached calmly during their foraging activities.

The agricultural expert recommended maintaining feeding stations using simple household items like shallow saucers or disposable plates containing sugar-water mixtures. This emergency nutrition support provides crucial energy for bees until natural flowering patterns can reestablish themselves.

Beyond immediate humanitarian concerns, Webb highlighted the insects’ fundamental role in Jamaica’s agricultural recovery. “Bees serve as essential pollinators for approximately one-third of global food production,” she stated. “Their preservation directly impacts our national food security and agricultural restoration efforts post-hurricane.”

The campaign represents an unusual intersection of disaster response and environmental conservation, recognizing that ecological rehabilitation remains inseparable from agricultural and economic recovery in hurricane-affected regions.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaican authorities have declared an extensive 48-hour security curfew encompassing six communities within the Manchester Police Division. The emergency measure affects residents of Canewood, Epping Forest, Oxford, Comfort Hall, Breezy Hole, and Auctembeddie following security assessments by law enforcement agencies.

The restrictive order took effect at 6:00 PM local time on Monday, January 5, with official provisions mandating its continuity until 6:00 PM on Wednesday, January 7. This temporal lockdown requires all civilians within designated boundaries to remain indoors throughout the specified period unless granted explicit authorization by the operational ground commander.

Geographical parameters established for the security operation encompass:

Northern Boundary: Extending 3,400 metres along a designated demarcation from vegetated terrain to the Breeze Hole District border.

Southern Boundary: Spanning 4,100 metres across specified coordinates terminating at Comfort Hall’s vegetated periphery.

Eastern Boundary: Covering 5,190 metres of territory extending to Waterloo District’s vegetation line.

Western Boundary: Measuring 5,000 metres from the southern demarcation point through Evergreen to Roses Valley’s wooded areas.

Law enforcement personnel will maintain continuous patrols and checkpoints throughout the duration to enforce compliance with the emergency protocol. The measure represents the latest in Jamaica’s ongoing security initiatives to address public safety concerns in designated regions.

In a powerful display of cultural solidarity, the Jamaica Strong Benefit Concert generated over US$500,000 in net proceeds to aid recovery efforts from Hurricane Melissa’s devastation. Held on December 12, 2025, at New York’s UBS Arena in Queens, the event united the global Jamaican diaspora through music and humanitarian action.

Organizer George Crooks of Jammins Events confirmed the substantial fundraising achievement, emphasizing how the initiative brought together international communities in support of hurricane relief. The concert’s organizational framework, led by New York-based cultural entities Irie Jam Radio, Irie Jam Foundation, Jammins Events, and RoadBlock Radio, transformed collective concern into coordinated action through transparent, community-driven leadership.

Bobby Clarke, co-founder of the Irie Jam Foundation, detailed the strategic distribution plan for the raised funds. The allocation includes US$150,000 each to Shaggy’s Make a Difference Foundation, the Sean Paul Foundation, and the Government of Jamaica Hurricane Melissa Relief Fund. An additional US$50,000 was designated to the Irie Jam Foundation specifically for repairing and rebuilding primary schools in Cornwall, among the storm’s most severely impacted regions.

“By directing funds to both national and community-based organizations,” Clarke explained, “we ensure support reaches individuals, families, and communities where need is most immediate and impact most meaningful.”

The event featured Caribbean artists who donated their time and talent, using music as a vehicle for unity and healing during national crisis. Kacy Rankine, CEO of Roadblock Radio, highlighted the profound cultural significance: “Caribbean artists used music and culture as vehicles for unity, healing, and advocacy during a moment of national crisis.”

Rankine expressed gratitude to sponsors, patrons, media partners, volunteers, and the broader Caribbean diaspora whose generosity made the initiative possible. The concert successfully achieved its dual objectives: increasing global attention to Hurricane Melissa’s human toll and mobilizing substantial financial support for rebuilding communities.

Nearly 10,000 attendees filled the arena, demonstrating extraordinary engagement from the Jamaican diaspora and friends of Jamaica who gathered to show solidarity, compassion, and resolve. While the concert marked a significant milestone, organizers emphasized that recovery remains ongoing, requiring sustained support to restore stability, dignity, and opportunity for all affected by the hurricane.