THE GOVERNMENT has extended the window for which persons can import Hurricane Melissa relief supplies and donations without paying customs duty and General Consumption Tax (GCT). The tax relief took effect on October 29 and was set to expire on November 29. Speaking in Parliament last Tuesday, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness announced that the exemption has been moved to the end of December. Holness said this will allow every shipment of emergency supplies to reach affected persons without much hassle or delay, noting that recovery efforts are ongoing and would go on much longer than the original onemonth exemption period. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister announced that satellite internet devices such as Starlink and other such equipment, inverters and solar-powered equipment, including panels and batteries, have been added to the list of tax-exempt items. He said the move is to get power and communication to areas that are without such services due to damage caused by Hurricane Melissa. Noting that others will take advantage of the tax relief, Holness appealed to persons to act generously and share some of these much-needed items with those in need. “If you can buy 2 Starlinks and send one to a family or a community, do it. If you can buy solar batteries and solar panels and give it to a community or a household in the affected parts of Jamaica, please, do it,” he said. “I know that we give up these revenues others will benefit from it who don’t really need it, so I ask Jamaicans to use your conscience. Enough that the other half of Jamaica that is suffering now benefits from this relief,” he continued. Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @ JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @ GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com. SupportJamaica website receives over US$1 million and J$53 million JUST OVER US$1 million in donations through credit cards were made to the SupportJamaica website up to early Tuesday, the Government has announced. The website also received an additional J$53.2 million in credit card donations, Minister of Information, Dr Dana Morris Dixon, disclosed during a special media briefing at Jamaica House in St Andrew. Hurricane Melissa became the strongest to hit Jamaica when it made landfall in Westmoreland on October 28 as a Category 5 system. It left in its wake 45 deaths and complete or partial damage to thousands of public and private infrastructure, mainly across five western parishes. The information minister revealed that already 170 donors have registered on the government’s hurricane relief web portal. And she said 31 countries have already provided relief aid to Jamaica, while the Government is now working through the logistics for aid from nine other countries. Morris-Dixon announced that 526 schools have reopened since the hurricane. She lauded teachers and other school administrators who were personally impacted by the hurricane, but have still turned out for the resumption of classes. “We are grateful to them and we thank them for their efforts,” she said. AT LEAST one economist has indicated that the damage to the country’s infrastructure, spanning housing, water, electricity, telecommunications, and roads could reach an estimated US$16 billion (J$2.5 trillion) or potentially up to at least 75 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). Economist Keenan Falconer says that with GDP expected to fall precipitously in the wake of Melissa’s impact, the debt-to-GDP ratio, governed by legislated fiscal rule since 2014, would rise in the medium term. He noted that the country was on target to reduce its debt-to-GDP ratio to 60 per cent by March 2026. The debt-to-GDP ratio is a country’s public debt to its annual economic output expressed as a percentage. “In these instances, the legislation allows for a suspension of the rules so that the Government can recalibrate its fiscal position for the future,” he said. In a statement to Parliament last Tuesday, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness said a preliminary estimate of Melissa’s impact, based on benchmarks of comparable regional disasters to physical infrastructure, is estimated at between US$6 billion (J$963 billion) and US$7 billion (J$1.1 billion), which is equivalent to 28 per cent to 32 per cent of the GDP for fiscal year 2024-2025. The prime minister said a preliminary estimate suggests that short-term economic output could decline by eight to 13 per cent. “It is a major hit to our economy,” Holness declared, saying the country had never experienced a disaster of this magnitude with this economic footprint in terms of the impact. Noting that the initial estimate is conservative, the prime minister noted that to lose 30 per cent of the country’s GDP is significant. He said in another few weeks, the country would be provided with a more precise estimate of the damage. THE MONTHLY GLEANER | NOVEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 13, 2025 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS MISSED 7 Infrastructure damage from Hurricane Melissa could hit J$2.5 trillion The Accident and Emergency entrance to the Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny was extensively damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa. IAN ALLEN Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon addressing a special press briefing at Jamaica House on recovery from Hurricane Melissa on November 6. JIS NEWS Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness speaking at a press briefing at Jamaica House on November 6, 2025. RUDOLPH BROWN/PHOTOGRAPHER THE NATIONAL Works Agency (NWA) says it has reopened nearly 90 per cent of roads impacted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Manager, Communication and Customer Services at NWA, Stephen Shaw, says that the agency has to date received reports of some 385 roads being impacted. Of this number, 246 or 63 per cent have been reopened to single lane traffic, while another 27 per cent have been fully reopened. Shaw says that as of last Thursday evening, there were 35 impassable roads in 12 parishes. There are six impassable corridors in Hanover, five in St Thomas, four in Trelawny and three in the parishes of St Andrew, St Elizabeth and St James. All roads in the parishes of St Mary and Kingston have been reopened. Among the reopened roads in St James are the roads from Barnett to Adelphi, Adelphi to Kent and Mocho to Niagra. The NWA says work continues to reopen the road from Marchmont to Washfoot Gully and Johns Hall to Stapleton. It says some roads are being impacted by flooding. Among them are Montpelier to Cambridge, St James; Williamsfield to Mile Gully, Manchester; Martha Brae to Kinloss, Trelawny; and Windsor to Aberdeen, St Elizabeth. THE NUMBER of people killed during Hurricane Melissa has increased to 45, authorities confirmed on Tuesday. Fifteen people have been reported missing, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) disclosed. The updated figures were made public during a special media briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister on Tuesday. There were 18 deaths in St Elizabeth and 15 in Westmoreland, Information Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon disclosed. There were six deaths in St James; two each in Hanover and Trelawny and one each in St Ann and Portland, according to Morris Dixon. “That’s 45 families that are hurting,” she said, while offering condolences to relatives of the victims. The deaths were confirmed following investigations by the police with assistance from the army. The information minister said 33 post-mortem examinations have been conducted to date while others are pending. 35 roads remain impassable in 12 parishes - NWA Import tax waiver for disaster relief supplies extended to December Hurricane Melissa death toll in Jamaica rises to 45
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