KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica has so far received over $540 million from over 15,000 donors, with the money being deposited on the Government’s official disaster relief platform.

This is according to Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Commander Alvin Gayle. He made the disclosure at a Hurricane Melissa recovery media briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister on Thursday.

“These donations reflect the deep compassion and unity of the Jamaican people, the private sector, the diaspora and the international donor community,” said Gayle. “The national recovery effort continues to be strengthened by the extraordinary generosity of individuals, organisations and partners both here and abroad,” he added.

The ODPEM boss said the church and faith-based groups also continue to play an invaluable role in the recovery effort, undertaking the large-scale distribution of food, clothing and care packages across multiple parishes, thus ensuring help reaches those in the most vulnerable communities.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon disclosed that as of 2:03 am Thursday, contributions to the supportjamaica.gov.jm website and credit card transactions stood at US$1.13 million and $55.85 million respectively.

She also shared that a new feature was added to the website on Thursday, which will allow individuals sending humanitarian aid through ODPEM the ability to complete all the required forms in one place.