KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has announced plans to provide relief and support to communities most severely affected by Hurricane Melissa over the next two to four weeks, including the construction of temporary shelters.

According to a statement released on Wednesday, the temporary shelter solution will be provided on a needs basis and will include large tents supplied by partners. This follows growing public frustration over the slow pace of setting up shelters for the thousands of Jamaicans left homeless by the hurricane.

In the meantime, the ministry will also continue deliveries to hard-to-reach communities.

As part of its broader recovery strategy, the ministry will complete a verified household registry with vulnerability tags to ensure fair and efficient distribution of assistance.

The ministry further plans to transition to early recovery, exploring targeted cash and livelihood support in coordination with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management and the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and maintain public information and grievance channels, including helplines and parish offices.

Since Category Five Hurricane Melissa hit the western part of the island, the ministry has distributed over 30,000 food packages to households most impacted.

READ: Gov’t distributes over 30,000 food packages to families impacted by Hurricane Melissa