Trisha Bailey pumps US$3.5m into Melissa relief effort

After Hurricane Melissa devastated a number of parishes in the western parts of Jamaica last October, several individuals and organisations in the diaspora rallied in support of the island. They provided containers of supplies, generators, hospital equipment and other necessities to assist in getting life back to some semblance of normality.

Among those who were quick out of the blocks to help was Dr Trisha Bailey, who has estimated that her contribution to the relief efforts has totalled more than US$3.5 million so far.

Speaking with The Gleaner recently, Bailey said that while her activities are no longer at the level they were at in the immediate aftermath of the storm, a half container load of generators, as well as a container of medical supplies, sourced through React Health and specifically earmarked for the Black River Hospital, were offloaded in Jamaica this past week.

The medical equipment includes oxygen tanks, C-PAK machines, Bi-POPs and respiratory devices, among other items.

Among her efforts to try and rehabilitate the affected parishes were the cleaning of roads, rebuilding the clinic in New Market, food drop-off using helicopter, provision of tents, zinc and other materials to get housing repairs started.

“While I cannot give a number for the people who we help, I know that some 250 families had their homes repaired,” she told The Gleaner.

Bailey said she opened the Bailey Relief Center in St Elizabeth so that her team on the ground in Jamaica could ensure that relief supplies reached the people most in need, and do so speedily.

“I was happy to set up the relief centre, as I needed to ensure that supplies got into the hands of the people who needed them,” she told The Gleaner.

RELIEF CENTRE VITAL

Bailey noted that the system of distribution established by the Government “was not fluid”, and so the relief centre was vital to ensure that the people most in need were getting the supplies.

She said the process in Jamaica was not smooth and the process changed several times.

“I did not expect the process to be perfect, but it could have been smoother,” she said

“My team did a great job getting the supplies to the people in need, as they had to figure things out as they went along,” she said.

Bailey said she was glad she set up her relief centre rather than relied on what others set up.

She noted that, at times, you had to “know people” in order to get things done expeditiously.

She also had high praise for Dr Karren Dunkley, who worked with her to get containers cleared and the supplies distributed.

“She did a wonderful job on the ground,” she said.

Turning to the collection of funds by her charity, Bailey disclosed that only about US$100,000 came in, which was used to purchase generators and other supplies as well as pay for the shipping of the goods.

Asked about her opening her shipping efforts to others in the diaspora who wanted to send supplies to Jamaica, Bailey said 95 per cent of the supplies she received were earmarked for family members and not to the general relief efforts.

“I had to put a stop to that as they were using me as a shipping company, and the shipping costs were very high,” she said.

VERY DISHEARTENING

Bailey described this as very disheartening.

She said she was no longer collecting supplies for shipping to Jamaica but rather, was sourcing supplies in Jamaica.

“It is expensive to ship containers to Jamaica, so it makes better sense to source the supplies in Jamaica, which allows us to purchase more supplies using the monies that would be paid for shipping cost,” she said.

Bailey expressed some happiness that things have started to come together for the people in the affected areas.

“I don’t hear the desperation that I heard at the beginning,” she said

Bailey said that from reports, it appears people are getting back on their feet.

She praised the Government’s efforts to restore power supply and other essential services, as well as tourism.

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