Hurricane Melissa is a reminder of the vulnerabilities in disaster preparedness across the Caribbean. The devastation caused by this Category 5 storm in Jamaica makes a strong case for strengthening regional systems. One of the steps should be to...
The governments of the world’s powerful nations have learned to live with disregard for human suffering. That is the bleak truth behind a new UN report whose numbers should shame every leader or diplomatic representative who speaks of global...
My first dogs were Devil and Blacks, and, because of his coat, my favourite dog was Rugs. My wife Indranie loves dogs coming and going. This is our story. Lovely Lucy, the most petite of our three small breed dogs, ironically, is the alpha dog of...
The Government’s concurrence with this newspaper’s call for a legislated special purpose vehicle to undertake the post-Hurricane Melissa reconstruction of western Jamaica is a good start towards the project. As Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness said...
Hurricane Melissa has devastated the western third or more of Jamaica. This is the prime real sector for economic growth. It is the centre of agricultural food production for the entire Jamaican and export markets. It is the main mining area. And...
Many of us Jamaicans are Old Testament people – which is fine if we follow the Jewish faith tradition. But if we are children of the New Covenant – the New Testament – then we follow a different “Way, Truth, and Life” than the Old Law. Let me...
There is no question that Hurricane Melissa severely battered western Jamaica. Indeed, even as the assessment becomes more granular, what is known so far of the impact of the Category 5 storm is staggering. An estimated 135,000 homes were either...
Hurricane Melissa did more than upend lives, destroy the housing stock and sever the road network, she uprooted Jamaica’s food security. The once-fertile parishes of St Elizabeth and Manchester, long hailed as Jamaica’s ‘breadbasket’, now lie...
IF YOU grew up in the ‘90s, you remember them. Those heart-breaking UNICEF ads that just seemed to ambush your conscience as you settled in for some mindless Fresh Prince of Belair or WWE Smackdown. The slow pan across a dusty village, the sad,...
Published:Wednesday | November 19, 2025 | 12:10 AM
HURRICANE MELISSA has left a trail of casualties and extensive property losses in Jamaica, a situation that has brought deep concern and sorrow to us all. Sharing Jamaica’s pain, China extended its deepest sympathy and support. On behalf of the...
Published:Wednesday | November 19, 2025 | 12:07 AM
The emergence of several cases of leptospirosis and tetanus in western Jamaica since the passage of Hurricane Melissa underlines the need for fast action by the Government to head off a potential public health crisis in the region. This includes...
EVERY CENTURY comes with its cataclysmic events which are recorded in history and will be discussed, written about and studied for generations to come. The 20th century had quite a few of those which impacted Jamaica. For Jamaica specifically,...
I’ve heard it said (and it’s true I’m sure) that, sometimes, we mus’ tek seruss t’ing mek joke. That must’ve been journalist Zahra Burton’s intent when, at one of Government’s post Melissa briefings, she made the following contribution: “I had...
Hurricane Melissa departed our shores three weeks ago. The death toll, at the time of writing this article, stands at 45, but this figure does not fully reflect the devastating effect the storm has had on the health of our populace. Health is...
While maintaining its policies to reduce the amount of Earth-heating gases Jamaica spews into the atmosphere, the Government should underpin these efforts by making climate change – and how to be resilient against its threats – a core element in...
Hurricane Melissa has underscored a timeless principle. Logistics is not simply about moving goods; it’s about enabling continuity, restoring order, and saving lives. This truth has never been clearer than in the immediate aftermath of Melissa...
Hurricane Melissa barrelled across Jamaica on October 28 leaving behind a trail of destruction unlike anything the island has ever experience, particularly in the southern and western regions of the island. The damage to homes, infrastructure, and...
Jamaica is not simply surviving hurricanes; we are quietly growing a population shaped by them. We speak about damage and repair funds but those are surface wounds. The deeper injury is neurological, emotional and generational. Hurricanes are not...
Since the adoption of universal adult suffrage and a representative system of government in 1944, Jamaica has always had two legislative chambers. In 1944, there were established the elected House of Representatives and the nominated Legislative...
World Athletics’ decision to schedule the three rounds of the women’s 100 metres race for the opening day of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is a coup for marketers. For, as Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, framed the development, it...
Two weeks after Hurricane Melissa tore through western Jamaica, shattering public infrastructure, destroying private property and upending people’s lives, policymakers are still counting the losses and what it will take to rebuild the region. But...
Just imagine that your mother is a doctor, on the frontline in the middle of a pandemic or national emergency, while her family is left wanting. Worse, while fighting to save the lives of many, including ungrateful patients, she falls ill and dies...
There is a lot of news speculation about rising flood waters in areas such as Content and New Market, where flood waters have begun rising since the passage of Hurricane Melissa across the island in late October 2025. This is a natural occurrence...
Although Hurricane Melissa tore a destructive path through the west of Jamaica and caused disruption across most of the island, every Jamaican - here and in the diaspora - was badly affected by its passage. Those within the path of the monster...
I first wrote these reflections while we were still waiting for Hurricane Melissa to make landfall – a nation caught between forecasts and fear. Now that it has passed, and the resulting devastation is all too clear, I return to them even more...
