St Ann Chamber backs call for task force to aid parish’s recovery

The St Ann Chamber of Commerce is supporting recommendations for a task force made up of stakeholders to aid in the recovery efforts of St Ann.

Hurricane Melissa damaged sections of St Ann on October 28, destroying homes and flooding communities, leaving sections of the population destitute.

The chamber is calling for greater focus on relief support for St Ann.

“While the Chamber commends the Government of Jamaica, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, the Jamaica Defence Force, and other state and private partners for their valiant support to affected communities islandwide, there is a prevailing concern that many of the hardest-hit communities in St Ann have not received the level of attention and resources urgently needed to restore normalcy and hope to residents,” the chamber stated in a release.

“The chamber is, therefore, supporting recommendation of the establishment of a dedicated Task Force or Committee comprising representatives from the churches, schools, government agencies, civil society, the chamber, and other critical stakeholders and technocrats to urgently design and implement a coordinated Action Plan for St Ann’s Recovery,” the release outlined.

Chamber President Dr Ransford Davidson said people in St Ann are hurting.

“The devastation across St Ann is extensive, and the pain is real,” Davidson said.

“From our coastal towns to our rural communities, families are hurting, businesses are struggling, and essential services are yet to be fully restored. We need a robust and coordinated response mechanism to ease the burden on our citizens and accelerate the rebuilding process,” he added.

The chamber’s appeal come as the main recovery focus has been centred on the most hard hit areas of Jamaica, the parishes of St Elizabeth and Westmoreland, with other areas now appearing to being neglected for the most part.

Carl Gilchrist