Three American military helicopters touched down in Jamaica on Friday, Oct. 31, delivering emergency provisions for areas ravaged by Hurricane Melissa. Transport Minister Daryl Vaz received the aircraft at the Caribbean Military Academy's School of Aviation facility in Kingston, with five additional helicopters expected by the weekend. The U.S. Embassy coordinated the deployment, which will help Jamaica Defence Force personnel move food and water to isolated western communities where flooding severed road access.
Britain announced an extra £5 million in disaster assistance for Jamaica and neighboring Caribbean territories, adding to £2.5 million committed earlier. The expanded aid package provides more than 3,000 temporary housing kits and 1,500 solar lamps for displaced families and households without power. British authorities positioned emergency materials in Antigua and Barbuda ahead of the storm for rapid distribution through the World Food Programme and Red Cross channels.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said escalating damage reports prompted the funding increase, which includes matching up to £1 million in citizen contributions directed toward the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies campaign for Jamaica.
Britain announced an extra £5 million in disaster assistance for Jamaica and neighboring Caribbean territories, adding to £2.5 million committed earlier. The expanded aid package provides more than 3,000 temporary housing kits and 1,500 solar lamps for displaced families and households without power. British authorities positioned emergency materials in Antigua and Barbuda ahead of the storm for rapid distribution through the World Food Programme and Red Cross channels.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said escalating damage reports prompted the funding increase, which includes matching up to £1 million in citizen contributions directed toward the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies campaign for Jamaica.
