MAY PEN, Clarendon — Displaced by Hurricane Beryl, wheelchair-bound Laurel “Silverman” Richmond has been living in a rented space for months. But he is now a step closer to rebuilding his house.

Richmond was among 70 people who on Tuesday received cheques through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Hurricane Beryl Relief Programme.

“I lived at a relative’s house after Beryl and then moved to a rent house where I am staying now. Things not so nice but mi a gwaan hold it. This cheque will go a far way to fix up back my place for me and my youth dem,” he said gratefully.

His house was among those severely damaged by the July 3, 2024 hurricane.

He relies on a wheelchair to get around due to an injury he picked up during deep-sea diving five years ago. Now, he scales fish for a living at Farquhar Beach.

Life has been difficult since the storm.

“I give God thanks for the cheque because Hurricane Beryl leave me without not even a sheet of zinc over my head. I kotch a people place and I get a lot of disrespect so I give God thanks. [God] send someone to help so I can get back two sheets of zinc and some things to start to build back a place. I give God thanks, and I appreciate everything from each and everyone,” added Richmond.

Another recipient, Alma Fearon from Cumberland in Spalding, lost the roof of her home to Hurricane Beryl’s wrath. She, too, said her family is grateful to receive help.

“The roof blow off… the whole complete thing come off and wet up inside. We had to go into my father’s room. I give God thanks for this, and I’m going to fix it, and we will do well with the cheque,” she said after the ceremony.

During the handover ceremony at St Gabriel’s Church in Clarendon, Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr urged recipients to use the money wisely and encouraged them to rebuild their homes in a sustainable way.

“If you [are] going to rebuild, put on your hurricane straps and make sure that you build in a way that makes sense, ’cause we live in Jamaica. And those of us who live here in Clarendon know that you live in a parish prone to flooding, prone to disasters, so protect yourself and protect your family,” he stressed.

Charles Jr said in executing the relief programme his ministry received a lot of support from other agencies, including Food For the Poor, and Red Cross.

“The country is now at a place where we can take up over $1.5 billion of our own money, not other people’s money, to help our own people. That is the kind of development I like to see. The destruction from Hurricane Beryl has been widespread — disrupting many lives, many homes, many livelihoods — but amid all those tragedies, the resilience of our Jamaican people continues to shine through. What we want to do as a country is to prepare and develop ourselves to withstand those disasters — because where we are positioned, so many tourists want to come here,” Charles Jr said.