SIX MONTHS IN THE DARK WESTERN BUREAU: Six months after the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, residents of the small coastal community of Parottee in St Elizabeth say their most urgent needs are the restoration of electricity and access to water, as recovery continues at a slow pace. “We have a big issue here with water and light, but water is our main issue, and water is life,” said Sandra Linton-Jones, a 62-year-old fish vendor who sells at the Black River Fish Market.
PM to respond to concerns in NaRRA bill Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness is expected today to respond to mounting concerns over the proposed National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) bill, a sweeping piece of legislation that has drawn criticism from civil society groups, a government lawmaker, and the parliamentary Opposition. At Gordon House, Holness faces three main options: push the bill through unchanged, agree to amendments, or refer it to a joint select committee for further review.
No plans to relocate after sea took home WESTERN BUREAU: Seventy-year-old Parotte fisherman Basil Bennett said he stood in stunned disbelief and watched his home collapse under the brutal force of Hurricane Melissa’s Category 5 winds as it ripped through St Elizabeth last October. “It wasn’t pretty, but I lived it out,” Bennett said, reflecting on the moment his decades-built dwelling gave way to the storm’s intensity. He recalled that as the approaching hurricane strengthened, normal life quickly turned into survival.
Flood trauma lingers The image of his house being submerged in floodwaters still plagues 79-year-old Leebert Campbell, even haunting him in his dreams. His home – located on Gibson Close, off Ward Avenue in Mandeville, Manchester – was one of three that were swamped when Hurricane Melissa unleashed up to 40 inches of rainfall on the island six months ago.
Storm-tested minds After experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of primary school students will tomorrow sit the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations just six months after the catastrophic Category 5 Hurricane Melissa brought another abrupt pause to their primary school education. PEP is Jamaica’s national assessment system which is used to place students in secondary schools.
3-year high in police fatal shootings this month Jamaica is on track to record its deadliest month of fatal shootings by the security forces in more than three years, with 36 people killed up to April 27, the highest monthly tally recorded over the past 40 months. Some 112 people were killed by state agents as at the aforementioned date. Six people, including a man said to be of unsound mind, have been killed by state agents in the 48 hours between Saturday and Monday.
Former crime scene officer says no car documents found at site of Acadia shooting A former police constable who processed the scene of a fatal police shooting in St Andrew in January 2013, yesterday testified that he did not see any car documents at the scene where three men were killed. The former scene-of-crime officer, who testified via video link from overseas, told the Home Circuit Court under cross-examination by defence attorney John Jacobs that although he conducted a full examination of the vehicle in which the men were travelling, as well as the area where the car was parked, none of the photographs previously shown in court depicted any car papers.
Billions needed to rebuild MoBay’s ‘ground zero’ WESTERN BUREAU: Restoring communities devastated by Hurricane Melissa could cost billions of dollars, with Montego Bay’s mayor warning that the country lacks the financial capacity for full mitigation and must instead focus on adaptation. Mayor Richard Vernon said the scale of destruction across Westgreen and Catherine Hall in the St James capital has forced a shift in how authorities approach disaster recovery and future risk.
‘I get to learn more’ WESTERN BUREAU: Ten-year-old Enrique Aiken speaks with quiet confidence, the kind that comes from finally understanding the work in front of him. “I get to learn more stuff – things we did before and new things – for PEP,” said the grade-four student, referring to the Primary Exit Profile tests, proudly noting that he is in the top stream at Corinaldi Avenue Primary.
Fear still rules Westgreen, Catherine Hall WESTERN BUREAU: Six months after Hurricane Melissa, residents of Westgreen and Catherine Hall remain gripped by fear, fleeing at the first sign of rain as trauma persists and recovery challenges continue to undermine confidence. For some, returning home is still not an option. For others, staying has come at a cost. Pamella Findlay is among those yet to move back, citing not only ongoing uncertainty about the safety of the area, but the fact that it has taken her months to repair the devastating damage to her home.