Indian community in MoBay raises $10m for hurricane recovery
... commits to restoring school in hard-hit south St James
Published:Monday | November 17, 2025 | 12:11 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Indian community in Montego Bay, St James, has raised $10 million to support recovery efforts across the parish and has committed to help restore one of the worst-affected schools in the southern region following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
Last Friday, philanthropist and community leader Bhasker Reddy Sharu, who is heading the recovery initiative, presented St James Southern Member of Parliament Nickeisha Burchell with food, care packages, and both street and home-fitted solar lights to help residents still living in darkness nearly three weeks after the Category 5 storm.
Several communities, including Springfield, Maroon Town, Maldon, Cottage Road, Cambridge, and Garlands, remain without electricity and water. Burchell said the solar lights were urgently needed.
“The communities are very dark … . You can’t see in front of you,” Burchell explained during the presentation. “Particularly our shelters, it will be good to put some light on them for people who are still there.”
Sharu confirmed the group will install 100 solar street lights, prioritising community centres and shelters. He added that they are also exploring providing Starlink connectivity to help residents communicate with loved ones amid the prolonged outages.
The Indian community also presented care packages to Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon, signalling that the funds raised will be used across the parish, not only in St James Southern.
Crucial intervention
Burchell welcomed the commitment to restore one of the schools in her constituency, describing it as a crucial intervention as parents worry about students, especially those preparing for Primary Exit Profile (PEP) assessments, as well as Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations.
“Right now, we’re not sure how our kids are going to get back to their education,” Burchell said. “If we can get one of the major schools fixed, we can move the students, especially the PEP students, so they don’t lose teaching time.”
Sharu said the group stands ready to take on the project once assessments are completed.
“If time and funds agree, we’re going to adopt one school,” he pledged. “Just give me the name. We want to make sure the children can get back to learning.”
Burchell suggested both Garlands Primary and Springfield Primary as options, noting that they serve multiple surrounding districts.
The member of parliament also raised concerns about rising transportation costs for rural families, with taxi fares “tripled and quadrupled” since the hurricane due to impassable roads.
“Parents are trying to send their kids back to school, but it’s expensive,” she said.
“I understand the operators have to travel farther, but don’t kill the people, work with them,” she appealed.
Sharu said the team is focused on reaching the communities most cut off by blocked roads, collapsed bridges, and the [ensuing] steep spike in basic expenses.
“Some communities have no access to supermarkets at all,” he noted. “Even the taxi fare to get to the city has become impossible for many families.”
Last Friday’s presentation marks the beginning of what will be an ongoing partnership to rebuild one of the parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa.