GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC)—Guyana’s president Irfaan Ali on Thursday announced that Guyana will be extending assistance to storm-ravaged Jamaica and Haiti, even as support for Guyanese nationals in Jamaica has already begun.
“We will be supporting our Jamaican brothers and sisters, and those in Haiti, comprehensively,” President Ali told Demerara Waves Online News.
He said he has been in close contact with Prime Minister Andrew Holness to address some of the “urgent needs” facing the Caricom member state, where between 14 and 19 people have been reported dead following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
Haiti, also a Caricom member, has recorded at least 25 deaths.
Ali said targeted assistance for Guyanese citizens in Jamaica—where the storm caused catastrophic damage—was already underway.
“I have instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver urgent care packages to all Guyanese students and families, and this has already started,” he confirmed.
The president added that Prime Minister Mark Phillips is leading a broader national response team that includes the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Ministry of Health, the private sector, and Guyana Power and Light.
The team will coordinate with Jamaican authorities to finalise the full scope of Guyana’s support, which will include technical assistance on the ground.
“Within the next 48 hours, this team, in discussion with Jamaican authorities, will finalize the full support package, which will include technical support in-country. An initial shipment of equipment and resources will arrive in Jamaica before this weekend,” Ali said.
Earlier on Thursday, the CDC confirmed that Guyana’s initial response would involve the mobilisation and deployment of essential relief supplies such as generators, tarpaulins, and chainsaws to support immediate recovery efforts in Jamaica.
Hurricane Melissa—the most powerful storm in Jamaica’s recorded history—has left hospitals, power stations, homes, and government buildings either damaged or destroyed.
Meanwhile, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie, who also serves as Deputy Chairman of the National Disaster Risk Council, reported that the number of people in shelters had declined significantly.
“Persons who went to shelters out of precaution have left those facilities and returned home,” McKenzie said. He added that 117 Jamaican soldiers, along with police officers and firefighters, have been deployed to assist with ongoing search and rescue operations.