GASSAN Azan Jr says no decision has been taken to permanently close MegaMart Wholesale Club in Montego Bay, which suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Melissa’s onslaught, as the process of loss assessment and rebuilding will take at least a year.

Additionally, Azan, the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of MegaMart and Bashco Trading Company Limited, says his immediate focus is on ensuring the welfare of his staff who have been impacted by the Category 5 storm, which hit the western end of Jamaica on October 28.

“The scale of the damage is such that we’re still in recovery. We’re getting our teams, we’re making sure that the staff is okay; we’re cleaning up the mess and then an analysis will be done,” Azan, who is also a director of this newspaper, said last Friday.

“We are in ongoing evaluations to determine the feasibility of reopening and can only make a final decision once all evaluations are complete. Based on the scale of the damage, this will take time,” he added.

Azan was responding to a Gleaner report on Thursday stating that MegaMart Montego Bay would be permanently closed due to the heavy damage the business sustained from flood waters rising as high as eight feet during Melissa’s rampage across that section of the island.

“The building has to be addressed because it could take a year or more to put that store back together,” Azan told the Jamaica Observer.

“All the equipment is gone, all the merchandise is gone, all the cold rooms damaged — the entire store on the inside would have to be rebuilt. Electrically, we don’t even know what the status is because we are told that saltwater went through the building,” Azan explained, adding that the loss will likely run into billions of dollars and loss adjusters haven’t yet done a proper assessment of the damage.

He confirmed the report that operators of other businesses have been reaching out to him to employ his staff, as there is a worker shortage in Montego Bay, a development that he is not opposed to because “we want to see our staff get placed, simply because we understand and know the length of time this is going to take to put back together”.

At the same time, he said the plan is to transfer staff to other stores in the retail business group.

“Some of them will go to Bashco, some of them will be placed at other MegaMart [locations] throughout the chain. With all of what’s going on, the situation is still very fluid, but we’re trying to make this as seamless as possible for the affected team members,” he said.

As it now stands, the group is providing team members affected by the hurricane with care packages and other items.

“The basic needs are what we’re focusing on. Some of them are still marooned, but for those that we can reach out to, some of them are coming to work and they’re still in shelters. So we have to make sure that they have the basic needs to continue doing what they’re doing,” Azan said.

Last Friday, Azan issued a statement thanking the people of Montego Bay for welcoming MegaMart.

“For 18 years this community has been at the heart of who we are. You welcomed us into your lives and trusted us to serve your families. We are truly grateful for that bond. As recovery efforts continue, our focus remains on supporting our team, standing with our vendors, and helping the wider community rebuild stronger than before,” he said.

“Thank you for your resilience, your patience, and your continued support. Together, we will rise again,” he said.

An example of the scale of the damage inside MegaMart Montego Bay after Hurricane Melissa