ODPM defends Melissa relief cash use after audit flags low early drawdown as ministers and regional health teams advance parallel tracks

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management is defending Hurricane Melissa Relief Fund outlays after public attention landed on fewer than $30 million spent six months after the disaster while a parliamentary real-time audit recorded just over $26 million as of 2 April—under two percent of more than $1.4 billion received. Director General Commander Alvin Gale, interviewed Wednesday, said the rhythm reflected careful stewardship, not foot-dragging: roughly $26 million had underpinned government-led roof repairs under the shelter recovery programme before ODPM paused direct account draws pending Ministry of Finance regularisation, about $135 million had since been applied, and donated building supplies worth near $400 million should be drawn down before heavy use of cash. Gale connected the gifts to long-term shelter recovery, citing about $600 million earmarked for modular housing foundations and another roughly $600 million for wider shelter recovery aimed at housing rehabilitation.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Minister Floyd Green, in the 2026–2027 sectoral debate, said about 200 fishers completed sea moss husbandry training over three years, with the National Fisheries Authority expecting commercial sea moss output to rise from 1,400 kg in 2025 to 5,000 kg by 2027. Dr Christopher Tufton told the House on Tuesday a draft national menopause and andropause policy for roughly 400,000 Jamaicans—about 240,000 women in the affected age cohort and near 145,000 men aged about 51–60—is nearly complete after consultations, with Cabinet review due this month before the chief parliamentary counsel, listing symptoms from hot flashes, fatigue, mood instability and vaginal dryness in women to reduced libido, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, depression and muscle loss in men, and pointing to research that formal menopause strategies improve care access alongside planned public education, promotion and clinician training.

Saint Lucia is widening port checks during a cruise-linked hantavirus cluster that stood at eleven cases as of 13 May 2026, including a critically ill French traveller tied to the MV Hondius. Dr Michelle Francois, national epidemiologist, said correspondence showed no suspected or confirmed island cases at the time of reporting, while the World Health Organization still allows for further possible detections because of shipboard dynamics and incubation up to about six weeks despite overall low risk, and officials repeated that infection normally follows rodent contact, with person-to-person Andes-strain spread rare outside prolonged close contact.

The Jamaica Football Federation scheduled Reggae Girlz friendlies against Panama at Panama City's Rommel Fernandez Stadium on 5 and 8 June during the June FIFA window ahead of a 27 November World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica. President Michael Ricketts said, "being a FIFA window, we are expecting that the players will be available," and billed Panama as preparation before the November Costa Rica assignment toward Brazil's next FIFA Women's World Cup.