Parliament audit shows 1.8 per cent of Melissa relief cash spent by late February

Pressure is mounting on how Jamaica handles disaster money after an audit showed only a sliver of the billions pledged for Hurricane Melissa recovery had moved almost four months after the system struck the island.

A live audit from the Auditor General’s Department, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, said the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) had taken in JMD$1.44 billion in gifts by 23 February 2026, yet had paid out only $26.2 million, equal to 1.8 per cent, up to that point. The review looked at how funds and buying were run under the Government’s Hurricane Melissa Relief Initiative and Roof Restoration Programme.

Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis said the work laid bare gaps in how money was watched, how decisions were governed, how contracts were tracked, and how people who should get help were checked.

In the report’s foreword, Monroe Ellis said, “This audit found that weaknesses in financial management, governance, and programme accountability limited transparency over Hurricane Melissa relief resources.” She also said, “Of $1.44 billion in cash donations received, only $26.2 million (1.8 per cent) had been spent as at February 23, 2026, alongside unreported and unspent Hurricane Beryl balances.”

The document said that, as at 23 February, ODPEM still had about JMD$569.6 million and US$5.9 million sitting in accounts tied to hurricane gifts, counting money left over from the 2024 Hurricane Beryl response.

The examiners said ODPEM did not hand over figures that would show everything gathered and everything paid out after Hurricane Beryl, so they could not tell if the cash on hand meant work was still in motion or pointed to poor delivery of programmes.

Monroe Ellis said, “The presence of significant unutilised balances from Hurricane Beryl prior to the commencement of Hurricane Melissa fund-raising further indicates weaknesses in the planning, monitoring, and utilisation of donated funds across disaster response cycles.”

The file also looked at gifts that moved through the Government’s Support Jamaica channel. Reviewers said a private bank kept back 30 per cent of incoming gifts for 45 days in case refunds were needed, but ODPEM had no signed contract spelling out that deal. More than JMD$15 million and US$298,429 were said to remain on hold past the date when the money should have moved, and the team said they could not check on their own if the cash later reached ODPEM because bank papers were not supplied.

The roof programme drew attention as well. ODPEM told auditors that 421 roofs were fixed with help from the Jamaica Defence Force and a foreign military team. The audit team said they could not fully confirm the work because vital papers were absent or thin, covering how people were picked, who signed off, and what showed the job finished.

Monroe Ellis said, “No documentation was provided to show the categorisation of the beneficiaries based on damage assessment with the appropriate evidence of damage to allow for audit trail from what existed before the repairs.”

On supplies, the audit said JMD$122.5 million worth of roofing material sent to JDF sites had only JMD$88.6 million formally signed off as received.

Auditors wrote, “The remaining $34 million in roofing materials, representing 27.8 per cent of all materials delivered, was not supported by signed delivery slips or goods received notes (GRNs) countersigned by either ODPEM or a JDF representative, leaving these deliveries unverified and unacknowledged by the receiving party.”

The file also questioned rush buying rules, saying three of four roofing supply contracts went to firms that, at award, lacked valid Public Procurement Commission registration papers or up-to-date Tax Compliance Certificates.

On the National Disaster Fund, reviewers pointed to missing required money reports and the fact that there is no separate bank account for the fund.

The report said, “Continued non-compliance with the Disaster Risk Management Act, including no standalone audited NDF accounts, required reporting and a dedicated NDF bank account further weakens oversight.”

The Auditor General’s Department said the continuing audit was meant to tighten accountability while recovery work carries on. The same paper said 420 contracts worth JMD$11.13 billion had been let so far for Hurricane Melissa, and that further audits were in progress.