This country's private sector has been commended by the Trade Minister for having provided 4.8 million dollarsworth of relief supplies to Jamaica as part of a first response to the recovery efforts there following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
This, as Jamaica's Prime Minister told his country's Parliament that based on an initial assessment, Jamaica has sustained six to 7 billion US in damage to its physical and telecommunications infrastructure.
00:00Trade Investment and Tourism Minister Sakyama Maraj has commended what his ministry calls the outstanding first response of Trinidad and Tobago's private sector in support of disaster relief efforts for Jamaica following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
00:14In a statement on Wednesday, the Trade Ministry said within 48 hours of the passage of the Category 5 hurricane across Jamaica, the coordinated efforts of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association, the TTMA, the Supermarkets Association and the wider corporate community resulted in eight containers of relief supplies valued at TT $4.8 million in goods and cash contributions sailing to Jamaica.
00:42The Trade Ministry noted the formation of an inter-ministerial committee to coordinate Trinidad and Tobago's disaster relief support for Jamaica at the direction of Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Besessa.
00:53On Tuesday, Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Onnes expressed gratitude for the help his country is receiving from the international community as he told Jamaica's House of Representatives, the stabilization and recovery phase of Jamaica's recovery from Hurricane Melissa focuses on helping families and businesses regain normalcy, reopening schools, supporting livelihoods, restoring public services and assisting those whose homes were damaged.
01:22This effort, coordinated through the national spatial data management branch and supported by international technology partners, analyzed more than 428,000 buildings across Jamaica.
01:36Satellite data and drone verification indicate that approximately 116,000 structures sustain severe or catastrophic damage concentrated in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth and Manchester.
01:56These findings are now guiding targeted relief and reconstruction planning across communities.
02:03Prime Minister Onnes said Hurricane Melissa struck the heart of Jamaica's productive belt from the breadbasket parish of St. Elizabeth through the tourism corridor of Westmoreland, St. James, Trollani and St. Anne.
02:17But I wish to share very preliminary, high-level estimates only to illustrate the scale of the devastation.
02:27Based on benchmarks from comparable regional disasters, physical damage to housing, commercial buildings, roads, electricity, water and telecommunications infrastructure is estimated between 6 to 7 billion U.S. dollars,
02:45equivalent to roughly 28 to 32 percent of last year's GDP, last fiscal year's GDP.
02:57Prime Minister Onnes said detailed assessments are still underway.
03:01This is not only a humanitarian crisis.
03:04It is a shock to livelihoods, incomes and local economies.
03:09Trinidad and Tobago's Trade Ministry said that it continues to work closely with stakeholders to ensure the timely delivery of aid and support.
03:16The Trade Ministry said members of the public and corporate entities wishing to contribute can do so via the Joint Chambers Relief Fund at First Citizens Bank Point Lisas,
03:25checking account number 2818368, savings account number 2818367, while donations of goods can also be dropped off at Plebdeco Sheds 1 and 2 in Point Lisas.
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