Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo, Chairman of CAF – the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, has hailed the institution’s swift mobilisation of emergency aid for Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s catastrophic impact.
An emergency grant of US$670,000 from CAF comes as Jamaica grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
On Sunday, the BBC reported that Hurricane Melissa’s death toll had risen to 28 in Jamaica, confirmed by its Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, on Saturday, who also suggested that the figure could continue to rise.
CAF’s President, Sergio Díaz-Granados, expressed deep sympathy in a letter to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, pledging continued support for both immediate relief and long-term recovery.
In addition to the grant funding, CAF said it also coordinated bilateral assistance from El Salvador, which includes 37 tonnes of humanitarian supplies and over 300 emergency personnel, now on the ground in Jamaica.
CAF’s current Chairman of the Board of Directors, Trinidad and Tobago’s Finance Minister, Davendranath Tancoo, commended the speed and scale of the response, reaffirming the Board’s “full support” for the institution’s humanitarian and financial assistance to Jamaica.
CAF also recognised the Government of Jamaica’s decisive leadership in managing the crisis and committed to working closely with national authorities throughout the recovery and reconstruction phase.
The storm, now confirmed as the most powerful hurricane on record to strike Jamaica, made landfall last Tuesday with sustained winds reaching 185 miles per hour, crippling the island’s infrastructure and cutting off communication and power to large areas of the country.
The western regions of the island, including Black River and Montego Bay, have borne the brunt of the destruction, with entire communities left in ruins.
The impact of Melissa has extended beyond Jamaica. In Haiti, at least 31 fatalities have been reported, while two deaths have been confirmed in the Dominican Republic.