FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Custos rotulorum for the parish Hugh Gentles is urging well-meaning individuals and entities to shift their relief efforts toward building supplies which is now the greatest need for people hard hit by Hurricane Melissa.

According to Gentles, helping residents repair and rebuild houses destroyed by Melissa, when it slammed into south-western Jamaica on October 28, is the new priority.

Gentles said while the residents of the parish are grateful for humanitarian support they have already received — including food, clothing, and care packages —the recovery has entered a new phase.

“In my capacity as custos and as a businessman, in the parish, a number of people have reached out to me offering assistance. One of the questions they ask is what type of assistance. What can we do to help?” Gentles told the Jamaica Observer.

“We have received quite a bit of humanitarian assistance…However, we are at a stage now where I am thinking, and I am suggesting to people that what is needed is building material,” added Gentles.

He pointed out that the post-Melissa recovery will take time but donors can make an immediate and lasting impact by prioritising reconstruction materials.

“What people need now is the ability to fix their homes and move forward. If we can get building material into the hands of those affected, they will be able to help themselves — and that will make the biggest difference,” Gentles said as he noted that many residents remain displaced, either in shelters or temporarily housed with relatives.

“People need to get their roofs back on, to get their houses back in some sort of shape. After a while you want to get back to your own space. So I think they would really appreciate having roofing material and they will help themselves if they got the zinc and the lumber, the rafters, and nail and so forth,” added Gentles.

The custos noted that many residents of Trelawny are willing and able to repair their own homes once materials become available.

“People have stepped up, a lot of people, and they are offering assistance. So it’s just about how we channel that assistance. And to repeat — I think it is building material that is really needed now,” Gentles stressed in his interview with the Observer.

Gentles also highlighted severe losses in the farming sector, especially yam which is the cornerstone of the parish’s agricultural economy.

“The farmers sustained a huge hit throughout the parish. Trelawny is the major yam exporter for the country and yams have been flattened. The farming community will also need a lot of assistance to get back up on their feet,” he noted as he expressed hope that assessments now being done by Rural Agricultural Development Authority will result in tangible support to restore production for both export and domestic consumption.

Infrastructure across the parish was also badly damaged, and several major connecting roads remain compromised but Gentles acknowledged ongoing road clearance and temporary repairs by the National Works Agency allowing access to previously isolated communities.

Gentles described widespread structural destruction throughout the parish — from historic buildings to schools, churches and hotels — and noted that the majority of the parish remains without power.

“Our electricity was completely wiped out, for the entire parish…I suspect that we will be without electricity for months to come because so many of the poles are down, which will be a challenge for us,” said Gentles.

He commended Members of Parliament Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert (Trelawny Southern) and Tova Hamilton (Trelawny Northern) for continuing to support constituents despite the severity of the situation and personal losses sustained by Dalrymple-Philibert.

GENTLES…if we can get building material into the hands of those affected, they will be able to help themselves

Annette Redwood watches as workmen begin roof repairs at her home in Clarks Town, Trelawny, one of dozens severely damaged when Hurricane Melissa tore through the community on October 28.