Opposition demands public inventory of uncollected Melissa relief goods at ports

The parliamentary opposition is pressing the Government to publish a complete inventory of hurricane-relief donations that remain uncollected in warehouses and at Jamaica's ports in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

Anthony Hilton, the opposition spokesman on trade, industry, and global logistics, raised the matter after reports that donors who responded to the administration's appeal to assist storm victims are now facing heavy storage and demurrage charges. Supplies sent in good faith have sat in port and warehouse facilities for weeks and months, with fees in several documented cases climbing higher than the value of the cargo itself.

Individuals and organisations have in some instances had to choose between paying those rising costs or abandoning the goods entirely.

Hilton said the Government should immediately release a full accounting of donated items still held in storage or left behind at Jamaican ports and cargo facilities. He also called for an urgent relief mechanism to waive or reimburse storage and demurrage fees paid by donors of hurricane-relief goods, and to clear and distribute any supplies that remain usable.

The opposition further urged ministers to develop a comprehensive disaster logistics protocol before the Atlantic hurricane season opens on 1 June.