KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government has received US$200,000 and an assortment of medical equipment from the Cayman Islands towards Jamaica’s Hurricane Beryl recovery efforts.

The presentation was made to Prime Minister, Andrew Holness on Thursday, July 18 by Premier of the Cayman Islands, Julianna O’Connor-Connolly, who led a delegation from the neighbouring territory on a working visit to Jamaica.

During a meeting between the leaders at the Office of the Prime Minister, Holness thanked the Government and people of the Cayman Islands for their gesture of goodwill and support.

“On behalf of the people of Jamaica, we say thanks to our brothers and sisters and, indeed, our family in Cayman for this contribution. This is not a small contribution; [it] is significant and we appreciate it,” Holness said.

The prime minister indicated that the funds donated will be used to assist persons who have been adversely impacted by the hurricane.

“I can guarantee you that this will be used to assist the families who have been displaced and dislocated. In fact, this will go into our Disaster Preparedness Fund which is essentially managed by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), which will be distributing according to need,” Holness said.

Premier O’Connor-Connolly, in her remarks, said the extension of assistance is indicative of the countries’ close friendship.

“Jamaica has so many connections for us. As a woman of faith, I would like to reach out to you as a leader, as a neighbour, as a brother. I was especially delighted to hear that your ports were pretty much up and going, and your airports, because you will rise again. It is an honour and a distinct privilege to [give this] small token,” she said.

Premier O’Connor-Connolly also advised that her country is willing to give assistance in rectifying the transmission issues that have been hampering full restoration of utilities to hard-hit areas.

The Cayman Islands delegation also toured several adversely impacted areas along Jamaica’s south coast which were lashed by torrential rains and gale-force winds, resulting in significant infrastructure damage and losses in the agriculture sector.

— JIS