By Anthony Henry

New UK-funded humanitarian support is accelerating recovery efforts across Jamaica, according to UK Minister Chris Elmore, who visited the island for two days last week and updated the UK Parliament this week on the scale of assistance being provided.

Elmore said the UK’s £2 million contribution to the World Food Programme (WFP) is reinforcing emergency food distribution, humanitarian logistics and telecommunications in areas where communications systems collapsed. WFP has been restoring disrupted supply chains, coordinating food deliveries and supporting shelters’ work, which he described as “central to community recovery.”

He added that the Red Cross Jamaica is deploying £1 million in UK funding to provide emergency shelter materials, water and sanitation supplies, psychosocial support, and targeted cash transfers to vulnerable families. The cash assistance programme, delivered with support from UNICEF and WFP, is giving households the ability to purchase essential goods as markets reopen.

Elmore noted that pairing cash transfers with strengthened logistics ensures that relief is “swift, dignified and focused on empowering families to regain control over their recovery”.