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Durrant Pate/Contributor

The Andrew Holness administration has been found wanting in its Hurricane Melissa Relief Initiative by the Auditor General’s Department (AuGD), which has uncovered widespread breaches in governance and procurement activities.

In addition, the AuDG has flagged the procurement and distribution of 200 Starlink devices, valuing $12.12 million, many of which remain in storage even long after the Category 5 hurricane passage on October 28 last year.

The audit of Hurricane Melissa relief was undertaken to determine whether activities were executed with due regard to transparency and accountability, with the findings released in a 28-page report, which was tabled in parliament yesterday.

The audit focused on the oversight responsibilities of the National Disaster Fund Committee (NDFC), procurement activities from the National Disaster Fund, acquisition and distribution of Starlink devices and inventory and stores management. The findings are intended to support continuous improvement in disaster response management, while enhancing accountability and safeguarding public funds. 

Auditor General, Pamela Monroe Ellis, in her executive summary of the report, explains that “the audit sought to examine whether ODPEM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management) effectively ensured the transparency and accountability of resources received and utilised under the Hurricane Melissa Relief Initiative. In addition, the audit evaluated the adequacy of internal control systems designed to prevent and detect potential fraud, waste, and abuse of public resources during disaster response and recovery activities.”

She further explains that this latest report is the second in a series of audit reports intended to evaluate multiple aspects of the Hurricane Melissa Relief Initiative, specifically, the oversight responsibilities of the NDFC, procurement activities from the National Disaster Fund (NDF), inventory and stores management. 

The audit sought to examine whether ODPEM effectively ensured the transparency and accountability of resources received and utilised under the relief initiative and evaluated the adequacy of internal control systems designed to prevent and detect potential fraud, waste, and abuse of public resources during disaster response and recovery activities. 

Key Findings 

1. The NDFC did not effectively oversee the management of the National Disaster Fund. The Committee, mandated to provide policy oversight, general administration, and effective management of the NDF, convened only twice during its tenure, with the last meeting held in June 2022. The Committee was appointed in September 2020, and its term expired in September 2023. However, as at December 2025, there was no evidence of any new appointments, indicating non‑compliance with the requirements of the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Act. 

2. We found that the National Disaster Fund Guidelines document, which is intended to support the administration of the NDF remained in draft as at December 2025. In January 2026, ODPEM responded that it “will make the necessary representation to the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service (MoFPS) regarding the appointment of a new Fund Committee and will conclude its review of the draft Committee guidelines no later than January 30, 2026, and submit them for signature by the appropriate authority”. Section 40 of the DRM Act requires the Financial Secretary to approve withdrawals from the National Disaster Fund after consulting the NDFC. However, at the time the Director General of ODPEM requested $350 million for Hurricane Melissa relief efforts, no committee had been appointed. The Financial Secretary subsequently approved the withdrawal of the $350 million from the NDF. 

The Director General of ODPEM submitted the withdrawal request acting in the capacity of Secretary to the National Disaster Risk Management Council, to support critical relief activities—including food distribution, municipal supplies, and National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) operations—following the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025. The Director General of ODPEM, in a letter to the Financial Secretary, dated October 28, 2025, stated that the ODPEM had identified areas of intervention through coordination with local authorities and other stakeholders during pre- and post-disaster planning. In January 2026, ODPEM reported that consultations had occurred through operational meetings of the NEOC and verbal engagements with the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development (MLGCD). ODPEM, despite our request, has not provided meeting minutes or documentary evidence to support its representation that consultation was held with local authorities and key stakeholders. 

3. ODPEM did not publish the awarded emergency contracts on the Government of Jamaica Electronic Procurement (GOJEP) platform within the mandated one‑month period, as required by the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, 2025. Our review of ODPEM’s contract documentation for Hurricane Melissa relief activities identified 25 procurements valued at $85.6 million as at December 17, 2025. From this population, we sampled 10 contracts totalling $81 million and found that nine of the 10, totalling $67 million, were supported by the required eligibility documents and had received the appropriate approval from the Head of the Entity. ODPEM applied the emergency procurement methodology, and the documented justifications complied with the Procurement Act and its accompanying Regulations. The details of the contracts were not published on the GOJEP platform. Following our report to ODPEM regarding the absence of publication on the GOJEP platform, as at January 21, 2026, six out of the 10 sampled contracts have since been published. 

Concerns with Starlink devices procurement

4. We noted that the procurement of 200 Starlink devices, valuing $12.12 million, was initiated by way of a ministerial instruction and not by the ODPEM’s Director General, contravening the Public Procurement Act 2015, which assigns direct responsibility for all procurement activities to the Head of the Procuring Entity. Our review of correspondence revealed that the procurement activity was initiated by a letter from the Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications in his capacity as the Co-Chair of the Relief and Recovery Oversight Committee (RROC) on November 13, 2025, to the attention of the Director General for payment to be made by ODPEM for the 200 devices to Supplier No. 1. 

However, only the Head of the Entity is legally empowered to initiate procurement, and there is no provision under the Public Procurement Act that allows the Minister to approve or initiate commitments, to select suppliers or vendors or to give any directive to ODPEM as to which supplier to pay. The Starlink devices were bought using funds from the $350 million withdrawal requested by the Financial Secretary, but they were not listed among the items that supported this request. 

5. The Starlink devices were delivered to the Office of the Commissioner of Police on November 14, 2025. However, it was noted that the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) began preparing the required procurement documentation (Internal Emergency Procurement Requisition Form) on November 19, 2025, five days subsequent to delivery. The requisition form—which documents the procurement request, approvals, justification for emergency procurement, supplier selection, and risk assessment—was created retrospectively to formalise the process. 

6. Our review determined that 120 devices were distributed among 17 entities; of these, 13 entities confirmed receipt of a total of 86 devices. Physical inspections conducted at eight entities revealed all 41 issued devices remained unused and in storage. Additionally, five entities did not record the Starlink devices in their asset inventories, and three municipal corporations reported that the devices had not been entered into municipal inventory listings but were issued directly to the respective Councillors. 

Conversely, the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) indicated that, although the agency received three devices, measures are being implemented to render them operational. JCA further informed us that the devices’ power supplies are of European specification, necessitating the replacement of power adapters to meet local requirements at an additional cost. Upon examination of 41 devices, we observed that all units were equipped with European two-pin electrical plugs, requiring adapters for use. As of January 6, 2026, 80 out of 200 Starlink devices remained in storage at the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). 

Inadequacy of stores management

Food items, tarpaulin, and water purchased at a total cost of $59.6 million were not recorded in ODPEM’s inventory or stores records. ODPEM lacked an effective system for accurately recording, tracking, and periodically reconciling goods and assets acquired, which is essential to ensure accountability, sound management oversight, and reliable financial reporting. This issue persists despite recommendations from the Auditor General’s Department in a report published in July 2024, which highlighted the weaknesses and implications associated with deficiencies in inventory management. Furthermore, robust inventory procedures are mandated by the Disaster Risk Management Act. 

ODPEM reported that its warehouse inventory operates as a paper-first system. As such, items received and issued are initially documented on “_receipt and issue vouchers_” before the details are entered into the computerised inventory management system. This practice differs from previous information provided to us, which indicated that the SAGE 300 software was used for inventory management. Nonetheless, we found no evidence that inventory records had been updated accordingly. ODPEM stated that its inventory system would be updated by January 9, 2026, but as of now, this process remains incomplete and no timeline for full implementation has been provided.

Recommendation

• The Cabinet, on the advice of the Minister, should take urgent steps to appoint the National Disaster Fund Committee to ensure full compliance with the DRM Act. Prompt establishment of the Committee will strengthen oversight of the Fund and enable the Financial Secretary to benefit from the statutory requirement for consultation prior to approving any withdrawals. 
• Additionally, ODPEM should improve inventory management and transparency. This includes maintaining complete asset records, using standardised pre‑numbered requisition forms for all relief requests, and finalising and implementing the inventory management Standard Operating Procedures. ODPEM should publish all procurement activities as required under the Public Procurement Act to promote accountability, transparency and public access to information. 
• ODPEM should immediately implement a structured deployment and activation plan for all Starlink devices acquired for emergency response operations. This plan should include clear criteria for allocation based on priority needs, assignment of responsibility for device activation, and documented procedures for monitoring usage and effectiveness. 
• ODPEM should also undertake a review of the current device assignments to verify their appropriateness and alignment with operational needs. As part of this process, ODPEM should identify and formally designate staff within each recipient entity who will be responsible for the devices. This will help ensure that the units can be rapidly deployed and effectively utilised during emergency events.
• Furthermore, ODPEM must ensure that all Starlink devices are properly recorded in the inventory management system, with regular reconciliations to confirm their physical location and operational status. Moving forward, procurement activities should be strictly initiated and approved by the Head of the Entity, in accordance with statutory requirements, to safeguard transparency and accountability.