Westmoreland strengthens hurricane recovery planning after Melissa damage

As sections of Jamaica feel the effects of a weather system, Westmoreland is moving to strengthen its disaster preparedness after being among the parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa last year. The hurricane caused widespread damage and exposed weaknesses in how the parish handled emergency response and recovery.

The mayor of Savanna-la-Mar said the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation is putting planning at the centre of its approach for the hurricane season. He said the parish does not intend to fail, and therefore cannot afford to neglect preparation.

Parish stakeholders met over the weekend to examine recovery and readiness with support from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, known as UNDRR. The discussions identified several weaknesses, including the absence of a clear data system, low digital literacy in some communities, particularly among older residents, and no established data-sharing framework across agencies.

Patrick Watson, senior director for hazard mitigation and risk management in the Ministry of Local Government, said the concerns raised will feed into a final UNDRR report. That document is expected to help shape Westmoreland’s disaster readiness framework going forward. Watson said recovery must be planned in advance, warning that waiting until heavy rain or another emergency arrives would leave the parish facing further problems.

Cristobal Lopez Maciel, UNDRR’s local and infrastructure manager, said the work is meant to give Jamaica, specifically Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth, a road map for better preparation. He said the workshop is gathering information from multiple stakeholders so a practical recovery plan can be produced.

Participants said a major focus was separating immediate disaster response from longer-term recovery. While response covers urgent aid after an event, recovery deals with how communities, parishes and the country rebuild and return to normal life after the damage is done.