NEW YORK, USA — Jamaican organisations and individuals across the United States are fretful that relief supplies to assist with post-Hurricane Melissa restoration and recovery work may not reach many of those in need in a timely manner.

They pointed to backlogs at the ports in Kingston and Montego Bay, which are dealing with substantial increases in cargo as a result of the amount of relief supplies shipped to the island since the deadly Category 5 hurricane devastated the country on October 28, 2025.

The situation has been made worse by the fact that this is normally a busy time when many Jamaicans ship barrels home for the Christmas season.

“I am worried that I will not be able to collect the three barrels with essential items for my relatives that I shipped last week [December 5], with the hope that they would be in Jamaica before Christmas,” Dwight P Bailey, a Queens, New York-based resident said.

In a video message posted online, Peter Gracey, the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) representative for the Southern United States, advised people making the trip to Jamaica so as to clear anything at the ports for hurricane relief supply to, “adjust your travel plans as the wharfs both in Kingston and Montego Bay are backed up to breaking point”.

“Too many local groups in Jamaica promised people in the Diaspora they would clear and pick up the items, but are not doing so. Those unclaimed containers are sitting on the ports piling up and creating a massive traffic jam in the system,” Gracey complained.

“And door-to-door delivery will not save you any time or money. Some people think that because they pay for the service their items will magically bypass the backlog, but that’s not how it works. Door-to-door can only move when the container is opened,” he advised.

“There are organisations and non-profits right now willing to release pallets, barrels and boxes to any responsible person in Jamaica who are willing to clear them,” he said, urging collaboration where possible to improve the situation.

Feurtado Shipping Company, which operates out of Queens, New York, said due to the volume of freight being shipped to the island at this time, it was forced to temporarily suspend accepting barrels and other items for a few days. However, the company has since resumed.

A recurring theme among shipping companies is that they are overwhelmed, as people and organisations who have never shipped before are now doing so as they try to assist with the relief effort.

“People have to exercise some level of patience [as] nobody expected what is being experienced as a result of the hurricane. Every shipping company is overwhelmed as there is a lot of cargo,” said Anthony Harding of Besco Shipping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Michelle Mohamed, who operates Lara’s Shipping out of Orlando, Florida, said that if consignees are experiencing delays in getting their shipments from the wharfs, “they should shoulder some blame in that respect, as in many instances, the consignees are the ones who fail to clear their freight in a timely manner”.

“This is neither the fault of the Government nor the shipping companies,” she said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

Mohamed said her company, like other shipping companies, is seeing a large increase in the volume of freight it has handled since the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

In the meantime, the Vincent HoSang Family Foundation (VHFF) has joined the many organisations, individuals and companies contributing to the hurricane relief effort. In a press release the foundation said it has raised US$20,000 to support impacted communities in the worst-hit parishes of St Elizabeth, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, Trelawny, Manchester, and Clarendon.

The foundation said that in addition to financial support, it is also accepting donations of non-perishable goods, including clothing, baby supplies, elderly care items, and hygiene products. Drop-off sites include Royal Caribbean Bakery and Jerk O’zine Caribbean Grill.