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Chairman of the Private Sector Coordination Committee, Senator Keith Duncan, says the private sector has been working in different areas to support the Hurricane Melissa relief efforts across the island. He notes that, to date, support has been extended to the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) in developing its hub-and-spoke system for relief distribution, including logistical assistance. “We have provided warehouse space, we’re providing equipment, trucking and transportation as they build out this multipurpose distribution model across Jamaica. We’re mobilising for access… we’re bringing in chainsaws because we don’t have enough chainsaws and there are no more chainsaws in Jamaica,” the Chairman stated. Senator Duncan added that the private sector is also deploying earth-moving equipment to help clear roads and restore access to marooned communities. He was speaking during a special press conference at Jamaica House on Thursday (November 6). Meanwhile, Senator Duncan noted that private-sector groupings – led by Metry Seaga, Catherine Silvera, and Emile Leiba – have established an Emergency Operations Centre, with support from Lisa Soares Lewis, to coordinate efforts aimed at restoring business operations and revitalising economic activity. “So, working in tandem with everybody who is out there doing the work and clearing roads, getting light back… getting water back… the private sector is toe-to-toe working that through,” he said. “We also have worked out the supply chain, and that has been in terms of the relief aid, the food, the water, the shelter, the building supplies. That’s a supply chain intervention that we’re working through with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, who is in charge of procurement,” Senator Duncan added. He further informed that the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), and Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) have collaborated to establish a tax-exempt donation fund in support of national relief efforts for those impacted by the recent hurricane.
