Over US$1.13 million raised through Jamaica gov’t hurricane relief portal

Senator and Education Minister Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon

Donations to the Government’s official disaster relief platform, supportjamaica.gov.jm, have surpassed US$1.13 million and J$55.85 million as of 2:03 a.m. on Thursday (November 13), according to Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. Dana Morris Dixon.

The online portal, launched following the passage of Category Five Hurricane Melissa, was created to mobilise public support, channel emergency assistance and coordinate national recovery efforts. The current tally reflects contributions made via the website and credit card transactions, while the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is expected to provide additional figures from direct bank deposits.

Dr. Morris Dixon also announced a new relief shipment portal integrated into the Support Jamaica website, designed to streamline the process for donors sending humanitarian aid.

“This will enable anyone sending humanitarian aid to Jamaica through ODPEM to complete all the required forms in one place,” she said during a press briefing at Jamaica House.

The consolidated system merges ODPEM, Customs, Civil Aviation Authority and Maritime Authority documents, allowing donors shipping by air or sea to upload invoices, packing lists and personal details through a single interface.

“We are making the process a lot more efficient, so you don’t have to go to multiple places and fill out multiple forms,” the Minister added, noting that the portal is intended to simplify logistics and encourage faster, smoother relief shipments.