Barbados and Guyana Lead CARICOM Response to Hurricane Melissa’s Devastation in Jamaica

Barbados and Guyana are spearheading a coordinated Caribbean response to Hurricane Melissa, which has impacted nearly one million Jamaicans and caused an estimated US$8 billion in damages, according to Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

As CARICOM leaders visited hard-hit communities from Montego Bay to Westmoreland on Monday, Barbados pledged a fully equipped field hospital – due Thursday – and additional garbage trucks to accelerate cleanup. Guyana dispatched Defence Force engineers to partner with the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) on urgent roof repairs, targeting 200 homes in Westmoreland as part of a broader aid package including food, water, generators, tarpaulins, chainsaws, and storage tanks.

“This is significant and unprecedented,” Holness told reporters, noting that roughly 150,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged. “Every commitment must fast-track recovery and make Jamaica stronger.”

Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, after touring devastated neighborhoods in St James and Westmoreland, called the destruction “indescribable” but praised Jamaicans’ resilience. “We’re moving quickly to complete 200 roof repairs before Christmas,” he said, echoing Holness’s tight timeline for emergency shelter.

Antigua & Barbuda and Grenada also pledged support. Prime Minister Gaston Browne committed financial aid and personnel, citing Barbuda’s post-Irma reconstruction as a model for recovery.

“Jamaica can rebuild bigger and better,” he said. Grenada’s Dickon Mitchell added: “We have been through this. We know the value of regional solidarity.”

Despite severe fiscal strain, Holness emphasized Jamaica’s decade of disciplined economic management had positioned it to mobilize international assistance. “This is an opportunity not just to rebuild, but to fix what was broken,” he said.

With a JDF distribution hub operational and modular housing in procurement, recovery operations are intensifying – bolstered by a united Caribbean front.