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Regional Response Ramps Up After Melissa’s Fury Jamaica is reeling from the fury of Hurricane Melissa; a monster Category 5 storm that slammed into the island on October twenty-eighth. The hurricane unleashed catastrophic winds, flooding, and storm surges, leaving entire communities in the dark and thousands displaced. Hard-hit parishes include St. Elizabeth, St. James, Trelawny, Manchester, Hanover, and Westmoreland. But help is on the way. The Caribbean Public Health Agency, CARPHA, wasted no time mobilizing support. Just two days after landfall, Executive Director Dr. Lisa Indar joined a high-level CARICOM team in Jamaica. That team included leaders from CDEMA, the Caribbean Development Bank, and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology. They hit the ground running, meeting with sector leaders, visiting hospitals and shelters, and assessing urgent needs. On November first, they sat down with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his team. Dr. Indar also met with Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton to map out CARPHA’s public health response. Regional solidarity is in full force as Jamaica begins the long road to recovery.
