Netherlands, EU, Canada and others deliver another shipment of vital relief supplies to Ja
Ainsworth Morris / Our Today
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Jamaica was, on Tuesday, gifted with another shipment of emergency relief supplies to support Jamaica’s recovery, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
The shipment aboard the Dutch Navy support ship, HNLMS Pelikaan, which docked in the Kingston Harbour, also included power generators, solar lamps, batteries, medical supplies, health supplies, and emergency shelter material to assist communities hardest hit by the hurricane.
The supplies were provided by the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN), the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Dutch, Canada and Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), which came in 15 containers and totalled over 150 tonnes.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, who was on hand to receive the shipment on behalf of the Government and people of Jamaica, said the delivery of relief supplies has been challenging due to blocked roads and flooded bridges, which makes this shipment especially valuable.
“This particular shipment is so very important because it comes with vehicles. It comes with trucks. It comes with lifting mechanisms. It comes with pallets and mobile desalination units. It comes with systematic ability to deliver, and that makes this particularly important today,” Johnson Smith said.
She added that the support reflects the power of diplomacy and the importance of multilateral partnerships in disaster recovery and rebuilding. On behalf of the Jamaican people, she thanked the donors for their solidarity and assistance.
For his part, Captain Lieutenant Commander Max Borsboom told Our Today: “We are happy that we could have brought it towards Jamaica safely and it will be distributed on the island, and hopefully that also will be a success, although that’s hard to do given the circumstances. I wish Jamaica good luck, success, and health.”
Highlights from the offloading of the shipment.
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