National Commercial Bank (NCB) on Thursday closed out its multimillion-dollar Hurricane Beryl disaster relief fund, calling it “one of the most ambitious recovery efforts we’ve ever led” while simultaneously launching its water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme in underserved communities which were uncovered during recovery efforts.

The developments come on the heels of the anniversary of Hurricane Beryl which hit Jamaica on July 3, 2024 unleashing its fury on the island’s South Coast.

NCB, reacting swiftly, headlined the launch of its Building a Better Jamaica Foundation with the $300-million disaster relief fund to primarily assist with the restoration of homes and farmers’ crops in more severely damaged parishes such as St Elizabeth, Hanover, and Manchester.

The bank, in establishing the fund with an initial pledge of $20 million, said it would solicit corporate and individual contributions. It said it would match all donations up to a maximum of $150 million.

On Thursday, Perrin Gayle, NCB Foundation chief executive officer and executive vice-president of retail banking at NCB, said the bank had raised and matched more than $459 million with the help of 19 partners, the diaspora and friends of Jamaica.

“What started as a rapid response became one of the most ambitious recovery efforts we’ve ever led,” he told a national tribute event marking the closeout of the hurricane recovery efforts and the launch of the WASH programme at S Hotel in St Andrew.

Gayle said the fund, which had a 94.2 per cent utilisation rate, had foot the bill for the purchase and installation of two generators which were procured for the Newell and Little Park communities of St Elizabeth, bringing water to hospitals and homes and impacting more than 3,000 residents. He said 12,685 families received emergency relief and restoration aid while 1,191 farms and fisheries received support, preserving livelihoods and food security, and 795 roofs were built. In addition, he said 1,821 homes and critical community facilities were restored. Overall, Gayle said there was an average spend per beneficiary of $31,787.

“This is a tangible demonstration of strong financial discipline, transparency, and execution,” he noted.

In emphasising that the mission has not ended, the NCB Foundation CEO said while the fund was primarily launched to support Hurricane Beryl recovery, the work continues with support from global humanitarian aid outfit United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Food For the Poor Jamaica.

“We’re launching the WASH Programme, a comprehensive initiative to ensure access to water, sanitation and hygiene in vulnerable communities. This programme came directly out of what we witnessed on the ground — communities still without reliable access to clean water, proper sanitation, or hygiene infrastructure. It’s a direct response to those gaps and a step forward in strengthening the systems that will protect Jamaicans even beyond another disaster,” he said.

WASH aims to, among other things, improve emergency shelter readiness and reduce risk of water- and vector-borne diseases. Key deliverables include the procurement of: 400 shelter kits, vector control and water purification supplies and the installation of 15 communal water points.

On Thursday, UNICEF Jamaica Representative Olga Isaza said the initiative was borne out of the experience of her team following the hurricane.

“The latest data show that despite the country’s progress, in Jamaica, 33 per cent of household members still do not have access to a safe water source when they need it — a figure that rises critically during emergencies. The same survey reveals that two out of three children aged six to 23 months are not receiving minimum dietary diversity and meal frequency for the day. Nearly two out of five households are experiencing severe or moderate food insecurity. And this situation is also exacerbated in emergencies,” she noted. She said WASH will continue its various activities which began in the aftermath of Beryl.

Chairman of NCB Financial Group Limited Michael Lee-Chin, in a virtual address during the function, expressed gratitude to the various partners and donors and said the entity was “committed to continuing the journey of building a better Jamaica”.

He expressed incredulity at the level of work done in just under a year since the passage of the Hurricane, saying, “What really propelled us at NCB was our belief that those of us who can, should”.

He said the realisation that had the island’s capital received the brunt of the category 4 system’s fury, the devastation would have been even more was further impetus for the bank’s response.

“Had Kingston been hit as the south-western coast was hit, our GDP growth would have been devastated. Lives would have been devastated because of the density, so we were fortunate that the hurricane veered but what we have to be mindful of is that we don’t say, ‘Whew! That was close’, and forget our brothers and sisters who were devastated,” he said.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in his remarks, said the achievements through the relief fund “represent the best of who we are as a nation”.