ODPEM leaders address Auditor General findings on Melissa response

Leaders of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) say they accept gaps flagged by the Auditor General and are closing them while pointing to major gains in Jamaica’s response to Hurricane Melissa.

Director General Commander Alvin Gale and newly appointed board chair Trudy Deans spoke in a Jamaica Information Service special interview about coordination after the storm, the government-directed roof repair programme, and reforms to finance, warehousing and data protection.

Gale said ODPEM kept a whole-of-government coordinating system running for more than two and a half months, with 24-hour operations and more than 126 agencies on the ground for initial relief. He also cited strategic oversight of the government-directed roof repair programme, now in close-out for phase one: 507 roofs repaired, just over $200 million in donated funds spent, and about $400 million in donated building materials and supplies.

He welcomed the real-time audit of the Melissa response, saying identified gaps are being closed to strengthen future operations. Deans said long-standing organisational weaknesses appeared in both the Auditor General’s work and a post-Hurricane Beryl review ordered by the Prime Minister; that review was presented around June or July before Melissa struck months later. She said serious matters are under investigation and that anyone found culpable will face due process.

Gale said probes cover delivery gaps and unsigned documentation and are nearly finished. Internal logistics and inventory changes are under way, with Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) support and a World Food Programme workshop. The National Disaster Fund committee, which lapsed in September 2023, was requested anew from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service in January, approved by Cabinet in May, and has begun meeting. Outstanding statements of accounts and annual reports remain a work in progress. On co-mingling concerns, he said investment funds have dedicated accounts; temporary mixing involved another project account, and talks with the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General aim to resolve banking arrangements soon.

On roofs, Gale distinguished the Ministry of Labour and Social Security shelter recovery stream from the government-directed programme implemented by the JDF and military partners. Stronger counter-signing at forward bases, logistics reporting directly to the Director General, and JDF logistics expertise address inventory documentation gaps. Beneficiary lists come from an MLSS vulnerability matrix; phase two will proceed in smaller batches and check for duplicate benefits across programmes.

ODPEM was not Data Protection Act compliant when Melissa hit but has since created a data protection officer post (filled since February), developed policies, trained staff and moved to register with the Office of the Information Commissioner.

About 200 Starlink units ODPEM helped procure, plus donated units, are managed by the Jamaica Constabulary Force; ODPEM holds 55 from the Force for command and disaster communications, all recorded in inventory. On food donations, some goods arrived expired or near expiry, straining warehouses; Deans and Gale said inventory reforms will flag near-expiry stock for timely distribution without issuing spoiled items.

Gale put estimated Melissa damage and loss at about $1.95 trillion and relief goods’ CIF value at about $9.5 billion, with most consignments routed to ODPEM until mid-January and more than 2,000 JDF personnel assigned. Plans include a standing operations focus, a multi-year national logistics hub network, and possible restructuring toward more technical capacity. Both leaders said speed and accountability must go together as ODPEM works to restore public confidence.