Salvation Army in Jamaica begins recovery stage of response to Hurricane Dean
Preparing hot meals for people living in temporary shelters
THE Salvation Army’s response to Hurricane Dean on Jamaica is now moving from immediate relief to longer-term recovery. A partnership has been established with the USA Government agency USAID which will provide funds and materials so that people's houses can be made habitable again.
USAID is providing roofing materials and fresh bedding to The Salvation Army, the Red Cross of Jamaica, Catholic Relief Services and the Adventist Development Relief Agency. Each organisation will work in specific areas. The focus of The Salvation Army’s efforts will be the Allman Town and Jones Town areas of inner-city Kingston, Port Antonio and St Ann’s Bay on the north coast and the Top Hill area of St Elizabeth Parish.
The Salvation Army in Jamaica has so far supplied food to more than 18,000 people. As other relief supplies arrive they will continue to be distributed to areas of greatest need in conjunction with recovery phase efforts. More than 600 mattresses have been ordered from local producers as part of the recovery programme. Captain Michele Matthews, the Caribbean's Territorial Disaster Services Coordinator, explains: 'This is a good faith order, trusting in the Lord through our partners for the funding.'
Contact has now been made with The Salvation Army’s Windsor Lodge Children’s Home. Damage there included loss of roofing, affecting the 42 children who call the lodge their home.
Commissioner Raymond Houghton, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in the Caribbean, toured the affected areas of Jamaica on Monday 27 August – one week after the hurricane struck. He reports: 'As we approached Manchioneal on the far eastern side of Jamaica we could see that the power of the sea had destroyed the main road. Homes were devastated. We met some of the residents and distributed aid in the form of food parcels. We were also able to encourage our officers in Morant Bay, Port Antonio and Buff Bay. In Port Antonio, 100 people had been using the corps building as shelter.'
The Salvation Army in the Caribbean is still seeking funding so recovery work can take place quickly and effectively. The USAID funding is an answer to prayer but there remains much more to do.