United Nations pledges support to Jamaica

The United Nations (UN) has pleged US$4 million in support to the region to assist countries battered by Hurricane Beryl.

Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN is deeply dismayed by the destruction wreaked by Hurricane Beryl, the strongest hurricane in history in the Atlantic Ocean during the month of June.

The hurricane, which brushed past Jamaica as a Category 4 system on Wednesday, has already left a trail of destruction in St Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados.

Guterres said that given the wreckage caused by the hurricane, $4 million will be made available from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to kick-start humanitarian operations in Grenada, Jamaica and St Vincent and the Grenadines. The funds are to be used to support the most vulnerable.

Established by the UN General Assembly in 2005 as the UN global emergency response fund, CERF enables humanitarian responders to deliver life-saving assistance whenever and wherever crises strike.

Guterres said that in coordination with the affected nations, the UN is considering launching an appeal to address humanitarian needs arising from the impact of Hurricane Beryl.

Meanwhile, Dennis Zulu, UN resident coordinator in Jamaica and the UN secretary-general’s representative in country, has expressed the UN’s readiness to support response, and recovery efforts alongside the Government and other partners.

“The UN has positioned essential supplies and resources to facilitate a swift and effective response. We are also prepared to deploy technical experts to assist with damage assessments, needs identification, and coordination of humanitarian assistance among international development partners and international NGOs. The UN stands firmly with the people and Government of Jamaica,” Zulu said.

rescue package

The UN’s rescue package comes as Jamaica looks to draw down on its $4.5 billion rainy-day funds. Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke said last week that Hurricane Beryl did not make landfall in Jamaica means that the country will not be able to access its Catastrophe Bond, which provides financial protection against a Category 5 or very intense Category 4 hurricane making landfall in Jamaica.

He said the country would have to use resources from its Contingency Fund and the Natural Disaster Fund. He said that there is also a possibility that Jamaica could access the approximately $46 billion Contingent Credit Claim which it holds with the Inter-American Development Bank.

“While the maximum amount under this layer is approximately $46 billion, it will take a few days to ascertain exactly how much of this Beryl will trigger as well as how much we will need,” Clarke said.

Jamaica also has tropical cyclone and excess rainfall policies with the Caribbean Catastrophe Reinsurance Facility, and the country could know by Monday how much money it can get from the policy.

Clarke said that in putting in place various layers of disaster relief funding, the Government “do not need to scramble in the aftermath of Beryl to finance the emergency response required”.

Farmers and fisherfolk along Jamaica’s south coast have been hard hit by the disaster.