Bamboo boasts a long and rich cultural history. Used for thousands of years in the construction of homes, bridges, and furniture, bamboo is woven into the fabric of human design and innovation, dating as far back 4,000-5,000 years ago. Outside of...
The question of whether or not there should be fixed election dates has been one of long and intense debate. Section 64(2) of Jamaica’s Constitution provides that Parliament continues for five years after its first sitting following a general...
Explain to us, simple folks, how economic recovery is engineered when probably half of our people have lost most everything and have no earnings to pay for food and provide shelter. Faced with this undeniable reality, government, albeit flush with...
The visit to hurricane-ravaged western Jamaica last week by a muster of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders was meant as a demonstration of regional solidarity. But, beyond the symbolism, the presence of the heads of government – Gaston Browne,...
Hurricane Melissa has left a trail of widespread disruption, exposing the country’s deep vulnerability to climate-related disasters. Flooding, uprooted trees, damaged roofs, crops destroyed, bridges washed away, and several communities marooned....
After the massive destruction it caused in the west of the island in late October, the most powerful story of Hurricane Melissa is not bureaucratic. It is of something deeply human upon which Jamaica can, and should, build. The category 5 storm...
Hurricane Melissa revealed that Jamaica’s weakness is not only fragile coordination but fragile infrastructure. Empathy and equity must remain at the heart of the recovery process. As Jamaica moves past the response phase and enters early...
Thank God some of us still have roofs over our heads and accessible supplies of food and water. A privilege set have electricity, and doubtless, much to be grateful for. A long and slow recovery ahead, we need an active workforce. Yet, those of us...
Western Jamaica and sections of middle Jamaica suffered unprecedented destruction due to category 5 Hurricane Melissa. The event has been described as catastrophic and even apocalyptic. The losses are nothing short of heartbreaking and gut...
As I reflect on the last three weeks since Hurricane Melissa tore through southwestern Jamaica with winds exceeding 260 km/h, one thing is clear, I can tell you with certainty: the difference between effective disaster response and chaos comes down...
Hurricane Melissa is a reminder of the vulnerabilities in disaster preparedness across the Caribbean. The devastation caused by this Category 5 storm in Jamaica makes a strong case for strengthening regional systems. One of the steps should be to...
The governments of the world’s powerful nations have learned to live with disregard for human suffering. That is the bleak truth behind a new UN report whose numbers should shame every leader or diplomatic representative who speaks of global...
My first dogs were Devil and Blacks, and, because of his coat, my favourite dog was Rugs. My wife Indranie loves dogs coming and going. This is our story. Lovely Lucy, the most petite of our three small breed dogs, ironically, is the alpha dog of...
The Government’s concurrence with this newspaper’s call for a legislated special purpose vehicle to undertake the post-Hurricane Melissa reconstruction of western Jamaica is a good start towards the project. As Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness said...
Hurricane Melissa has devastated the western third or more of Jamaica. This is the prime real sector for economic growth. It is the centre of agricultural food production for the entire Jamaican and export markets. It is the main mining area. And...
Many of us Jamaicans are Old Testament people – which is fine if we follow the Jewish faith tradition. But if we are children of the New Covenant – the New Testament – then we follow a different “Way, Truth, and Life” than the Old Law. Let me...
There is no question that Hurricane Melissa severely battered western Jamaica. Indeed, even as the assessment becomes more granular, what is known so far of the impact of the Category 5 storm is staggering. An estimated 135,000 homes were either...
Hurricane Melissa did more than upend lives, destroy the housing stock and sever the road network, she uprooted Jamaica’s food security. The once-fertile parishes of St Elizabeth and Manchester, long hailed as Jamaica’s ‘breadbasket’, now lie...
IF YOU grew up in the ‘90s, you remember them. Those heart-breaking UNICEF ads that just seemed to ambush your conscience as you settled in for some mindless Fresh Prince of Belair or WWE Smackdown. The slow pan across a dusty village, the sad,...
Published:Wednesday | November 19, 2025 | 12:10 AM
HURRICANE MELISSA has left a trail of casualties and extensive property losses in Jamaica, a situation that has brought deep concern and sorrow to us all. Sharing Jamaica’s pain, China extended its deepest sympathy and support. On behalf of the...
Published:Wednesday | November 19, 2025 | 12:07 AM
The emergence of several cases of leptospirosis and tetanus in western Jamaica since the passage of Hurricane Melissa underlines the need for fast action by the Government to head off a potential public health crisis in the region. This includes...
EVERY CENTURY comes with its cataclysmic events which are recorded in history and will be discussed, written about and studied for generations to come. The 20th century had quite a few of those which impacted Jamaica. For Jamaica specifically,...
I’ve heard it said (and it’s true I’m sure) that, sometimes, we mus’ tek seruss t’ing mek joke. That must’ve been journalist Zahra Burton’s intent when, at one of Government’s post Melissa briefings, she made the following contribution: “I had...
Hurricane Melissa departed our shores three weeks ago. The death toll, at the time of writing this article, stands at 45, but this figure does not fully reflect the devastating effect the storm has had on the health of our populace. Health is...
While maintaining its policies to reduce the amount of Earth-heating gases Jamaica spews into the atmosphere, the Government should underpin these efforts by making climate change – and how to be resilient against its threats – a core element in...
