Member of Parliament for South East St Mary, Christopher Brown, and his neighbouring colleague, Omar Newell of Central St Mary, are today calling on the Government of Jamaica to urgently increase and accelerate assistance to residents in their constituencies who were severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

Preliminary assessments indicate that over 850 homes in South East St Mary, and close to 1000 in Central St Mary, have been directly affected. Yet, to date, each constituency has been allocated only JMD $3 million in building support, an amount that is gravely insufficient given the scale of need.

The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation has also indicated that a minimum of JMD $50,000 should be provided to each affected household. At that rate, though equally minuscule, if applied, the current allocation can only offer basic assistance to 60 households—less than 10% of those impacted.

At the same time, farmers across South East St Mary have been effectively wiped out by the hurricane, with fields destroyed, crops lost, and livelihoods shattered. According to local assessments, farming represents roughly 70% of their local economies, and for many residents, the same farms that generate income are also their primary source of food.

“This is not only a housing and infrastructure emergency, it is an unfolding food and livelihood crisis that, if not tackled with urgency, will take years to repair. “We cannot in good conscience look 790 families in the eye and tell them there is nothing for them”, said MP Christopher Brown in reference to the fact that as it stands now the majority will not get any assistance from the Government.

“Our farmers have lost almost everything—fields, crops, and the little security they had. While we fully understand and stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the ground-zero parishes (Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, Hanover, Trelawny and St James) who have suffered catastrophic loss, the people of South East St Mary are also living in crisis. They are without adequate support, facing a painfully slow return of electricity, and watching their livelihoods disappear in front of them,” Brown further added.

Weeks after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, many communities and districts in both constituencies are still struggling with: Delayed restoration of electricity, affecting livelihoods, food security, and children’s ability to study;

Damaged and unsafe homes, with tarpaulins and makeshift repairs serving as long-term shelter; Collapsed farm production, with small farmers unable to replant or restock and local food systems under severe strain; Limited building material and livelihood support, forcing families to choose between food, school expenses, farm inputs, and repairs; increasing emotional and psychological strain, as residents feel overlooked and left behind.

“This is not just about numbers on a spreadsheet, these are families sleeping in damaged houses and farmers looking at fields that once fed their communities and now lie destroyed,” Newell, the Central St Mary MP, added.

“We are asking the Government to review the allocation formula urgently so that every verified affected household in my own Central St Mary can receive at least the basic level of assistance that the Ministry itself has set and that our farmers receive targeted support to restart production,” stated Newell.