Dear Editor,

Our family and friends in south St Elizabeth, Manchester, and Clarendon need us now more than ever. We need them too — not for publicity or photo opportunities, but for food security, a robust economy, and stunning tourist destinations.

The recent devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl has left our communities heartbroken. They feel that their suffering has become a spectacle, a backdrop for empty promises and misrepresented progress.

These communities are home to some of the proudest Jamaicans you will ever meet. They are farmers, fisherfolk, seafarers, and pedlars who have built their lives from the land and sea. They are the ones who feed our nation and beyond. They invest their hard-earned money into improving their lives and supporting their families, embodying the Jamaican dream.

In one tragic incident they have lost everything. Their dreams now seem distant. Yet they haven’t lost hope. They are, however, becoming wary of outsiders who exploit their plight. Please, do not add to their fears by showing up just for show. They are facing immense challenges and we must not add insult to injury.

Now is the time to renew their faith in humanity and remind them of their vital role in our society, economy, and nation. We must demonstrate our desire to help, acknowledging that they have always extended their help when others needed it. Many of us have left these communities with something in hand, even in times of disaster, because their kindness knows no bounds.

As private sector companies profit millions from these communities, we can reinvest some of that money into a recovery fund. We can create products and services that build climate resilience, inspired by global benchmarks. Government agencies can use these communities as models for new policies and resilience measures against natural disasters, which pose a risk to all of us.

The conversation should not be “poor St Elizabeth”. Instead, it should be all hands on deck to stabilise our nation and prepare for future climate change threats.

Let’s do the right thing or refrain from acting until we can meet these people as equals, as proud Jamaicans.

Tashan Hendricks

St Andrew