Jamaica thanks global partners, diaspora for support after Hurricane Melissa

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, says Jamaica is deeply grateful for the support and solidarity shown by the international community in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

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Speaking in the Senate on Friday, Dec. 19, Johnson Smith thanked Jamaica’s friends and partners for their continued assistance as the country works to recover and rebuild following the deadly storm.

“In times of crisis, no country can stand alone. We are thankful to our international friends and partners for their commitment, compassion, and willingness to stand with us,” she said. “Their support has not only assisted in the relief effort but will continue to be critical to the rebuilding of infrastructure and restoration of essential services.”

The minister said each gesture of assistance reflects the strength of shared friendships and the enduring value of bilateral, regional and international cooperation.

“They also reaffirm our confidence in the power of unity and collective action,” Johnson Smith added. “I reiterate our deepest gratitude to all our partners, including our particularly special Diaspora family, working with us to bring hope, comfort, and life-saving assistance to our people. Their spirit of solidarity has given renewed meaning to diplomacy, restoring faith in humanity and inspiring Jamaica to press forward with confidence toward a brighter, stronger, more prosperous and resilient future.”

Johnson Smith outlined contributions from a wide cross-section of countries, including The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Peru and Venezuela. Support has also come from Canada, the United States of America, the European Union and several of its member states, including Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, along with China, India, Japan, Korea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda, Israel and New Zealand.

She also expressed gratitude to the United Nations and its agencies that pivoted programming to respond to Jamaica’s needs, including UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration, the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization.

Johnson Smith noted that, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, PAHO and UNICEF continue to support mobile clinics and pharmacy services, mental health and psychosocial care, and the distribution of water, sanitation and hygiene kits and medical supplies to shelters and affected communities.

“We are also grateful to the Organization of American States, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, the European Union’s civil protection and international partnership mechanisms, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, among others,” she said.

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The minister added that several international bodies, including the OAS and the Inter-American Board of Agriculture, have adopted decisions or resolutions demonstrating support for Jamaica and calling on member states to provide assistance.

She further thanked the Jamaican diaspora, friends of the country worldwide, and the many non-governmental organisations providing support. According to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), well over 100 external NGOs are currently active in the relief landscape, many with extensive disaster-response experience.

Private sector organisations in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana have also partnered with their respective governments to supply relief items to Jamaica.

Even as international and diaspora assistance continues, some Jamaican organisations and individuals in the United States have raised concerns about delays in getting relief supplies to communities most in need. They have cited significant backlogs at the ports in Kingston and Montego Bay, driven by the surge in post-hurricane relief shipments and compounded by the seasonal influx of barrels and other cargo typically shipped home during the Christmas period.

Johnson Smith said Jamaica will continue to rely on its resilience as a people, alongside the support of international partners, to build back better and stronger.

Locally, she commended private sector companies, individuals, community groups and faith-based organisations that mobilised aid immediately after the storm, complementing the Government’s response across ministries, departments and agencies. She also praised the work of the Foreign Ministry team and Jamaica’s overseas missions.

The foreign affairs minister extended condolences to the families of the 45 people who lost their lives, to those still missing, and to governments and families around the world who have lost loved ones due to tropical cyclones this year. The Senate observed a minute of silence in their memory.

Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded and the first Category 5 hurricane to make a direct hit on Jamaica, made landfall on October 28, 2025, causing widespread damage across St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St. James, Trelawny, St. Ann and Manchester.